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Montalcino: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Montalcino

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 Umberto Primo 1, Montalcino.

Montalcino, Brunello, Sant'Antimo and San Giovanni d'Asso

Montalcino's name travels the world on bottles of Brunello. The town sits on a hill above 550 metres, crowned by its fortress, between the Ombrone valley and the Val d'Orcia, a landscape listed by UNESCO. Since 2017 the municipality has also included the former municipality of San Giovanni d'Asso, in the Crete Senesi clay hills, known for white truffles.

The area is large and almost entirely farmland, with very little built-up land. Besides the main town there are hamlets such as Torrenieri, Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate, home to the abbey of Sant'Antimo. The property market reflects the value of vineyards and tourism: farms and farmhouses are priced on their land, and there are many places to eat, 91 bars and restaurants, 16.24 per 1,000 residents against 7.48 in the province.

There were 5,605 residents in 2023, down 7.2% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.3 (47.6 provincially) and over-65s make up 27.7%. Foreign residents account for 15.3%, a high share for a hill town. Declared incomes are slightly below the Siena average.

Montalcino is in seismic zone 3, like 31 of the 35 municipalities in the province of Siena, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.141 g. Many stone farmhouses have been restored in recent decades: ask for the design, the building permits and what work was done on floors and roofs.

On the clay of the Crete and the steeper slopes, landslide hazard changes from one farm to the next, and the report reads it for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the plot can be found, which helps when the house comes with vineyards or woodland.

Key points

  • Brunello hill town between the Ombrone valley and Val d'Orcia.
  • Since 2017 it includes the former municipality of San Giovanni d'Asso.
  • 91 bars and restaurants, foreign residents at 15.3%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.141 g.

Overview

Montalcino is a municipality in the province of Siena, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 5,605 residents, ranked 16 of 35 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montalcino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (31 of 35) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.141 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 7.2%. 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 15.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montalcino declared an average taxable income of 24,090 euros, below the provincial average (25,404 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montalcino is in climate zone E, with 2,308 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 567 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montalcino has 8 schools. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 2.6% of the land in Montalcino, compared with 4.0% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Montalcino 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 low. 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 Montalcino; 5 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Montalcino: 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 Montalcino 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 104 inhabited census areas in Montalcino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.6%
  • fair 51.9%
  • good 31.4%
  • very good 16.1%

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 052037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.