Monterosso al Mare: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of La Spezia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Monterosso al Mare
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 Roma 1, Monterosso al Mare.
Monterosso al Mare, the Cinque Terre and Fegina beach
Monterosso is the first of the Cinque Terre villages coming from the north, and here the coast opens into proper beaches, something rare on this stretch of Liguria. The old village fills a narrow valley between the hills, with its colourful houses and lanes, while Fegina, beyond the tunnel, stretches along the sea next to the railway station. All around, terraced slopes of vines and olives are part of the Cinque Terre National Park.
Buying here means entering a market shaped by tourism. Many buildings house guest rooms and holiday flats, and in summer the village fills up. The La Spezia to Genoa railway stops at Monterosso, and the train is the most practical way to get about: roads are few and narrow, and parking is scarce. Average declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.
There are 1,318 residents (2023), 11.0% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 50.2, against 48.6 in the province, and over-65s are 31.7%. Foreign residents make up 8.5%.
Monterosso is in seismic zone 3, as are 24 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.108 g in the built-up area. In tall, narrow historic buildings, ask about any work on walls and floors and the state of the roof.
With streams running steeply to the sea and terraced slopes all round, the exact location of a property makes the difference. The report starts from the address, finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and checks the official landslide and flood maps for that spot.
Key points
- Cinque Terre: the old village, Fegina and the beaches.
- Station on the La Spezia-Genoa line; narrow roads, little parking.
- 1,318 residents, down 11.0% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3; streams and slopes checked by address.
Overview
Monterosso al Mare is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,318 residents, ranked 17 of 32 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Monterosso al Mare is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.108 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 11.0%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (49). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Monterosso al Mare declared an average taxable income of 26,868 euros, above the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Monterosso al Mare is in climate zone C, with 1,321 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 6 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Monterosso al Mare has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 5.2% of the land in Monterosso al Mare, 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
Monterosso al Mare is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 contaminated sites in Monterosso al Mare.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Monterosso al Mare: 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 Monterosso al Mare 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 14 inhabited census areas in Monterosso al Mare. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 20.7%
- fair 79.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Liguria, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 011019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.