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.
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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 San Leonardo 1, Massa.
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 482 cafés, bars and restaurants, a higher density than average (7.30 against 6.50 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.
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.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Massa declared an average taxable income of 23,455 euros, in line with the province (23,864 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Massa is in climate zone D, with 1,525 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 65 metres above sea level.
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 37 grocery shops and supermarkets, 65 healthcare facilities, 77 sports facilities and 21 parks and green areas.
There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 22.0% of the land in Massa, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.3 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Massa 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 85 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Massa, and 75 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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: 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 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 340 inhabited census areas in Massa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.4%
- fair 38.4%
- good 53.8%
- very good 4.4%
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
- 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 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- 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.