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Pescia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pescia

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 Lucchese 1, Pescia.

Pescia, the flower market and the Svizzera Pesciatina hills

The river that gives Pescia its name splits the town in two: on one bank is the long square with the town hall, on the other the cathedral. Pescia is the main town of western Valdinievole, between Lucca and Montecatini Terme, and for decades it has lived on flower growing, with greenhouses on the plain and a large wholesale flower market.

Behind the town rise the hills and mountains of the Svizzera Pesciatina (literally "Pescia's Switzerland"), with ten small stone villages such as Pietrabuona, Vellano and Pontito. Up there you find old houses, often in need of restoration, and you have to accept narrow roads, distance from services and work on roofs and walls. Down on the plain, towards the A11 motorway and the railway to Lucca and Florence, are the newer districts and the greenhouse areas.

At the end of 2023 there were 19,276 residents, almost as many as in 2011 (-0.8%, according to Istat, the national statistics office). Pescia ranks number 5 by population in the province of Pistoia and has an estimated average age of 47.4, in line with the province. Foreign nationals make up 13.7%, a high share, and declared incomes match the provincial average.

In the province, 6 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 14 in zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, including Pescia (zone 3); the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.138 g. In the mountain villages and the old town, stone masonry needs a careful look: ask whether floors and roofs have been reinforced and whether the walls have been tied together.

The Pescia river runs through the town and the hill streams come down steeply, so flooding on the plain and landslides on the slopes are checked for each address. The report starts from the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Flower market, greenhouses on the plain, mountain villages behind.
  • 19,276 residents, almost unchanged since 2011 (-0.8%).
  • Foreign residents 13.7%, average age 47.4.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.138 g.

Overview

Pescia is a municipality in the province of Pistoia, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 19,276 residents, ranked 5 of 20 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pescia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (14 of 20) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.138 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 13.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pescia declared an average taxable income of 23,412 euros, in line with the province (23,480 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pescia is in climate zone D, with 1,877 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 62 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pescia has 16 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 15 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

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 9.0% of the land in Pescia, compared with 10.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pescia 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 medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Pescia, 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 Pescia: 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 Pescia 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 240 inhabited census areas in Pescia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 61.3%
  • good 36.8%

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 047012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.