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Montepulciano: 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 Montepulciano

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 della Resistenza 1, Montepulciano.

Montepulciano, a ridge-top town with villages in the Valdichiana

Montepulciano is built along the ridge of a hill, at around six hundred metres, between the Val d'Orcia to the west and the Valdichiana to the east. The old town is a sequence of Renaissance palazzi climbing up to Piazza Grande, and beneath many houses are the cellars where Vino Nobile, the local red wine, is aged. It is one of the best known destinations in the province of Siena.

Many residents, however, do not live on the hill. The municipality is large and includes villages on the plain or halfway up the slopes, such as Montepulciano Stazione, Acquaviva, Gracciano, Abbadia and Sant'Albino, home to the spa. The market varies a great deal between them. In the old town buyers often end up in historic buildings with listing restrictions, steep stairs and limited car access, and many homes are second homes or holiday lets. The villages have newer houses that suit people who work locally. The Valdichiana junction on the A1 motorway and Chiusi station are the main links to Florence and Rome.

The population is falling and ageing. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 13,173 residents in 2023, 1,064 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 7.5%. The estimated average age is 49.0 against 47.6 for the province, and over-65s make up 29.5%. Foreign residents make up 10.6%.

In the province of Siena, 4 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 31 in zone 3. Montepulciano is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.146 g. The old-town palazzi are stone and brick with centuries of alterations: before buying, have the walls and floors checked and look into the heritage restrictions, which also govern future work.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces the plot from the address. On the steep flanks of the hill and in the clay soils of the Valdichiana, landslide hazard changes from spot to spot and is read for the individual address.

Key points

  • Ridge-top old town, villages in the Valdichiana, spa at Sant'Albino.
  • Population down 7.5%; over-65s at 29.5%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.146 g.
  • Old town: check restrictions, walls and floors.

Overview

Montepulciano is a municipality in the province of Siena, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 13,173 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 35).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montepulciano 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 0.146 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 7.5%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 10.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montepulciano declared an average taxable income of 23,612 euros, below the provincial average (25,404 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montepulciano is in climate zone D, with 2,100 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 605 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montepulciano has 17 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 9 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

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 5.7% of the land in Montepulciano, compared with 4.0% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Montepulciano 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Montepulciano, and 3 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 Montepulciano: 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 Montepulciano 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 129 inhabited census areas in Montepulciano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.1%
  • fair 35.8%
  • good 53.8%
  • very good 9.3%

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 052015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.