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Orbetello: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Orbetello

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: Strada Statale 1 Aurelia 2, Orbetello.

Orbetello, the lagoon, the sandbars and Argentario

The town of Orbetello sits on a tongue of land in the middle of a lagoon, linked by a causeway to Monte Argentario, which is a separate municipality. Two long sandbars, the Giannella and the Feniglia, close the lagoon off from the sea. The municipality is much larger than the town itself: it takes in Albinia, Fonteblanda and Talamone to the north, Ansedonia with the remains of the Roman town of Cosa to the south, and Maremma farmland inland.

The differences show in the type of house and in prices. Ansedonia and the areas near the sandbars are places of villas and second homes, used mainly in summer. Albinia and Fonteblanda are lived in all year and are tied more to farming and to the Via Aurelia. The main town has the narrow houses of the old centre and little room to build. For anyone working in Grosseto or Rome, Orbetello Scalo station is on the Tyrrhenian coast line.

Albinia lies on the plain of the river Albegna, which has broken its banks and flooded the village in the past. There, and along the shores of the lagoon, look carefully at the flood maps for the exact address before making an offer.

The population is old: 14,149 residents in 2023, down 3.8% since 2011, an average age of 50.6 and over-65s at 31.5%, above the 29.0% of the province of Grosseto. Foreign residents make up 6.5%. Average income is slightly higher than the provincial figure.

Seismic hazard is low. Orbetello is in zone 4 of the national classification, like 9 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In houses near the water, damp, salt on concrete and render, and the state of the foundations matter more.

Key points

  • Town on the lagoon, villages from Talamone to Ansedonia.
  • Over-65s at 31.5%, above the provincial average.
  • Seismic zone 4; expected acceleration about 0.050 g.
  • Albegna plain and lagoon shore: check flood maps by address.

Overview

Orbetello is a municipality in the province of Grosseto, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 14,149 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Orbetello is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 10 of 28 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

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.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 3.8%. The estimated average age is 51 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Orbetello declared an average taxable income of 23,422 euros, in line with the province (22,706 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Orbetello is in climate zone C, with 1,260 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Orbetello has 16 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 19 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 35 sports facilities and 10 parks and green areas.

There are 1.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 4.2% of the land in Orbetello, compared with 3.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Orbetello 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Orbetello, and 5 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 Orbetello: 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 Orbetello 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 307 inhabited census areas in Orbetello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 22.7%
  • good 50.8%
  • very good 26.2%

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 053018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.