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Olivetta San Michele: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Olivetta San Michele

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 Castello 1, Olivetta San Michele.

Olivetta San Michele, the Bevera valley on the French border

Olivetta San Michele lies in the Bevera valley, right on the border with France: its territory meets French land, and the Bevera stream runs down from here towards Ventimiglia. The village lies at around 300 metres among steep, wooded slopes, many of them shaped into terraces held up by dry-stone walls, as across much of western Liguria.

For anyone thinking of buying, location is the main point. Ventimiglia, with its railway station and services, is the reference town, and the French Riviera is close. Climate zone D means mild winters compared with the Alpine valleys, but damp is something to check in stone houses. Many homes in the village are on several floors, with internal stairs and access on foot; those scattered over the slopes depend on narrow roads and on dry-stone walls that need maintaining.

In 2023 there were 190 residents, down 15.6% from 225 in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 52.5, against 48.7 in the province of Imperia, and over-65s make up 37.4%. Foreign residents account for 6.3%.

Municipalities in the province are split between seismic zones 2 and 3 in the Civil Protection classification. Olivetta San Michele is in zone 3, like 35 others, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.141 g. With a stone house, ask what work has been done on the roof and floors and whether any structural assessment exists.

On terraced slopes, landslides and collapsing dry-stone walls are assessed plot by plot: the report reads the official maps for the address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Bevera valley, right on the French border.
  • 190 residents in 2023, down 15.6% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 37.4%, average age 52.5.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.141 g.

Overview

Olivetta San Michele is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 190 residents, among the smallest in the province (61 of 66).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Olivetta San Michele is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) 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 15.6%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (49). 37% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 6.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Olivetta San Michele declared an average taxable income of 21,296 euros, in line with the province (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Olivetta San Michele is in climate zone D, with 1,748 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 292 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 1.4% of the land in Olivetta San Michele, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Olivetta San Michele 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 Olivetta San Michele.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Olivetta San Michele: 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 Olivetta San Michele 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 7 inhabited census areas in Olivetta San Michele. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 15.4%
  • fair 84.6%

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 008038. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.