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Olbia: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Search for an address in Olbia

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 Dante 7, Milan.

Olbia, the gateway to Gallura

For many people, Sardinia starts in Olbia. Its port is one of the main arrival points for ferries from the Italian mainland, and Olbia Costa Smeralda airport connects Gallura with the rest of Italy and Europe. The town lies on a deep inlet on the north-east coast, close to the Costa Smeralda, and depends largely on tourism, transport, retail and services.

Together with Tempio Pausania, Olbia is the capital of the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna. Buyers here face very different markets only a few kilometres apart: the town centre, the residential districts and the seaside localities do not share the same prices or the same issues. The report shows prices as a range for the price zone the address falls in, never as a valuation of a single property.

Near the sea, specific checks are needed. The report measures the distance from the shoreline and whether the coast is eroding or advancing, and it points out that within 300 metres of the shore the landscape is protected by law, with some exceptions for areas already built up (Legislative Decree 42/2004, article 142), so many external works and extensions need landscape approval (autorizzazione paesaggistica). Flood and landslide risk must also be read for the individual address, since across coastal plains, hills and watercourses it has no single value.

Earthquake risk, by contrast, is at the bottom of the scale: all 26 municipalities in Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, Olbia included, are in seismic zone 4. For a buyer, the structural questions are mostly about build quality and maintenance rather than seismic upgrading.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report identifies the land parcel from the address, including for scattered houses outside the town.

Key points

  • Main port and airport for north-eastern Sardinia.
  • Joint capital, with Tempio Pausania, of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna.
  • Seismic zone 4, like all 26 municipalities in the province.
  • Close to the shore: coastal strip protected within 300 metres.

Overview

Olbia is the capital of the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 61,481 residents, ranked 0 of 26 municipalities in the province. 39% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Olbia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 26 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Olbia.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 15.3%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (47). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Olbia: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 113017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.