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Mele: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Mele

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 Fado 6, Mele.

Mele, the paper-mill valley above Voltri

Mele is the village of the Leira valley, which reaches the sea at Voltri, at the far western end of Genoa. The Turchino road runs through the municipality and climbs to the pass and the Ovada area, and the railway to Ovada and Acqui also follows the valley. For centuries paper mills worked here, powered by the stream: a history recalled by a paper museum.

House hunters in Mele find a greener, quieter alternative to the western districts of Genoa, a few minutes away by road. There are stone houses in the hamlets along the stream, newer houses and small blocks of flats, and isolated homes on the slopes with land and woodland. Roads are narrow and steep, and many homes look straight onto the Leira. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,522 residents in 2023, down 6.1% on 2011. The average age is 48.6, practically the same as the 49.0 of the province of Genoa; 26.9% are over 65 and 3.3% are foreign residents.

Mele is in seismic zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.061 g, a limited hazard. In older houses, the roof, damp in walls near the stream and the state of the systems matter most.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published. In a narrow valley like this, for homes near the Leira and on the slopes, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Leira valley above Voltri, on the Turchino road
  • Old paper-mill village with a paper museum
  • 2,522 residents, average age 48.6
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.061 g

Overview

Mele is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,522 residents, ranked 30 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mele is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.061 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 6.1%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 3.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mele declared an average taxable income of 25,452 euros, in line with the province (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mele is in climate zone D, with 1,845 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 125 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mele has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 per 1,000 residents.

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 6.8% of the land in Mele, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Mele is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Mele, and 2 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 Mele: 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 Mele 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 40 inhabited census areas in Mele. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 13.1%
  • fair 61.2%
  • good 25.7%

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 010033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.