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Montemurlo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Montemurlo

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 Montalese 1, Montemurlo.

Montemurlo, the hilltop castle and Prato's textile mills

Montemurlo lies at the foot of the mountains north-west of Prato, on the border with the province of Pistoia. The old village clusters around its castle on a hill, while most residents live down on the plain, in Oste, Bagnolo and the districts that grew up next to the sheds of the Prato textile district. After Prato itself, it is the most populous municipality in the province.

Work here revolves around spinning, weaving and cloth finishing, and homes are often close to the mills. Buyers should look carefully at the surroundings: a quiet street of detached houses can border an industrial area and its lorry traffic. Prato is a short drive away, Florence and Pistoia are not far, and the nearest railway stations are in the neighbouring municipalities.

19,134 residents at the end of 2023, up 6.8% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office: Montemurlo holds 7.4% of the province's population. Foreign nationals make up 14.6%, many of them working, as elsewhere around Prato, in textiles and clothing. The estimated average age is 46.2, slightly above the province, and over-65s account for 24.6%.

The province of Prato is small, 7 municipalities, yet split between two seismic zones of the Civil Protection Department's classification: 4 in zone 2 and 3 in zone 3. Montemurlo is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.155 g. If you are buying in an apartment block, or in a home converted from an old industrial building, ask for the design, the inspection certificate and proof that the change of use was authorised.

Streams come down from the mountains across the built-up plain and have already flooded it during the heaviest rain; on the hillside, landslides are the issue instead. Both hazards are checked for the address: the report finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps and reads the official maps there.

Key points

  • Hilltop castle, villages on the plain beside the textile district.
  • Population up 6.8% since 2011, foreign residents 14.6%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.155 g.
  • Streams on the built-up plain need checking.

Overview

Montemurlo is a municipality in the province of Prato, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 19,134 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montemurlo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (4 of 7) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.155 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Montemurlo, 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 grown by 6.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 14.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montemurlo declared an average taxable income of 23,426 euros, in line with the province (23,681 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montemurlo is in climate zone D, with 1,792 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 73 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montemurlo has 12 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 12 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.3).

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 20.3% of the land in Montemurlo, compared with 14.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.3 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Montemurlo is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. 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 Montemurlo, and 10 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 Montemurlo: 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 Montemurlo 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 55 inhabited census areas in Montemurlo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 65.3%
  • good 34.6%

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 100003. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.