Massa: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Search for an address in Massa
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 Dante 7, Milan.
Squeezed between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Massa is the most populous municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara and the seat of its provincial offices. The old town gathers at the foot of the Malaspina Castle, a reminder of the centuries when Massa was the capital of a small duchy, while to the west the land drops into a plain that runs down to the coast and its beaches.
Population first. At the end of 2023 Massa had 65,992 residents, 35.3% of the province, down 4.2% since 2011. The estimated average age is 48.5, a little below the provincial 49.2. Over-65s make up 27.7% of residents, in a province where the same share reaches 28.8%, compared with 26.5% for Tuscany as a whole. Foreign residents account for 6.8%, and the average household has 2.17 people.
Italy's Civil Protection Department places Massa in seismic zone 3, together with neighbouring Carrara and just one other municipality in the province; the remaining 14 are in zone 2. The estimated ground acceleration for the built-up area is about 0.136 g, a moderate value. If you are buying a flat in an older apartment block, it is sensible to find out when the building was designed and whether its structure has been upgraded.
On services, Overture Maps data list 64 schools, 0.97 per 1,000 residents against a provincial average of 1.05, and 428 cafés, bars and restaurants, a higher density than average (6.49 against 5.73 per 1,000). The Ministry of Health counts 22 pharmacies.
Finding the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) is not a problem: the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the municipality's cadastral maps and the report uses them to trace the plot from the address. From the castle hill to the strip near the sea, however, landslide and flood hazard and local prices cannot be summed up for the whole of Massa, so the report checks them at the exact address.
Key points
- Most populous municipality in the province: 35.3% of residents.
- Population down 4.2% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3; expected ground acceleration about 0.136 g.
- More schools per resident than the provincial average.
Overview
Massa is the capital of the province of Massa-Carrara, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 65,992 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 35% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Massa is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 3 of 17 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.136 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.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Massa.
The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.
House prices
We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Massa has 64 schools and 22 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 32 grocery shops and supermarkets, 49 healthcare facilities, 73 sports facilities and 19 parks and green areas.
This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
Land registry
The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Massa: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-08-19.0.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 045010. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.