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Massa Marittima: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Grosseto, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Massa Marittima

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Via Emilio Zannerini 1, Massa Marittima.

Massa Marittima, the medieval town above the Follonica plain

Despite its name, Massa Marittima is not on the sea but on a hill at almost 400 metres, looking over the plain that runs down to Follonica. Its main square, with the cathedral of San Cerbone and the medieval public buildings, is among the finest in southern Tuscany; higher up is the Città Nuova, the new town, with the Candeliere tower linked to the fortress by a great arch. For centuries the town's wealth came from the mines in the surrounding hills, whose story is told in the local museums.

The municipality is large and lightly built, with very different hamlets: Ghirlanda and Valpiana towards the plain, Prata, Tatti and Niccioleta inland, among woods and old mining villages. In the old town buyers find flats in historic buildings, often over several floors with no lift; in the countryside, farms and farmhouses, also popular as holiday homes with the beaches of Follonica around twenty minutes away. Grosseto is roughly three quarters of an hour by car.

The population is ageing and shrinking. In 2023 there were 8,174 residents, down 5.1% on 2011; the estimated average age is 49.7, and over-65s make up 31.3%, above the 29.0% of the province. Households are small, 2.03 people on average, and foreign residents account for 13.6%. Incomes are a little below the provincial average.

Massa Marittima is in seismic zone 3 of the Italian Civil Protection classification, like 16 municipalities in the province of Grosseto, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.100 g. The hazard is limited, but in the medieval buildings of the centre the upkeep of walls, timber floors and roofs is what counts.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report traces the plot. In former mining areas and on steep slopes, landslide hazard should be checked; on the plain towards Follonica, flooding, always for the individual address.

Key points

  • Medieval town at almost 400 metres, above the Follonica plain.
  • Population down 5.1% since 2011; over-65s 31.3%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.100 g.
  • Old town, mining hamlets and farms: different checks.

Overview

Massa Marittima is a municipality in the province of Grosseto, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 8,174 residents, ranked 7 of 28 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Massa Marittima is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (16 of 28) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.100 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 5.1%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 13.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Massa Marittima declared an average taxable income of 21,551 euros, below the provincial average (22,706 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Massa Marittima is in climate zone E, with 2,129 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 380 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Massa Marittima has 9 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.1% of the land in Massa Marittima, compared with 3.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Massa Marittima is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 22 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Massa Marittima. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Massa Marittima: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Massa Marittima are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 84 inhabited census areas in Massa Marittima. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 12.4%
  • good 41.2%
  • very good 46.4%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 053015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.