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Molazzana: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Molazzana

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 Centrale 1, Molazzana.

Molazzana, Garfagnana villages below the Apuan Alps

Molazzana lies in the Garfagnana, on the side of the Serchio valley facing the Apuan Alps, a short way from Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. The municipality is made up of several villages and hamlets, spread between the main village, just under 500 metres, and higher ground below the peaks, with chestnut woods, terraces and forest all around.

Castelnuovo, with its hospital, secondary schools, shops and a station on the line to Lucca, is the everyday reference point and is close by. Lucca, for larger services, is reached by driving down the valley. Houses for sale are mostly stone homes in the villages, often on several floors with small terraced gardens, plus a few isolated farmhouses; many are family homes used in summer. The climate zone is E: cold, damp winters, with snow possible in the higher hamlets.

In 2023 Molazzana had 988 residents, 12.3% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 52.2, against 48.1 in the province of Lucca, and over-65s make up 33.1%, compared with 26.8%. Foreign residents are 5.7%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes need to be taken into account here: the municipality is in seismic zone 2, like 22 of the 33 municipalities in the province, according to the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.195 g. For a stone house, ask for a site inspection by an engineer and an estimate of strengthening work before making an offer.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report finds the plot from the address. On steep, terraced slopes the official landslide maps should be checked for the exact piece of land, as should car access to the house.

Key points

  • Garfagnana villages and hamlets below the Apuan Alps.
  • Castelnuovo di Garfagnana nearby for services and trains.
  • Over-65s at 33.1%, against 26.8% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.195 g.

Overview

Molazzana is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 988 residents, among the smallest in the province (29 of 33).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Molazzana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (22 of 33) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.195 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Molazzana, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 12.3%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Molazzana declared an average taxable income of 22,874 euros, below the provincial average (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Molazzana is in climate zone E, with 2,630 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 474 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 3.4% of the land in Molazzana, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Molazzana 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 no open contaminated sites in Molazzana; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Molazzana: 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 Molazzana 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 21 inhabited census areas in Molazzana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.4%
  • fair 99.6%

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 046020. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.