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Piana Crixia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Piana Crixia

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 Giovanni Chiarlone 1, Piana Crixia.

Piana Crixia, the stone mushroom and the Val Bormida

The Fungo di Piana Crixia, a large boulder balanced on a column of eroded earth, is the best-known sight in this Val Bormida municipality, protected by a regional nature park. This is the hinterland of Savona, near the border with Piedmont, in a valley of woods and eroded clay slopes along the Bormida di Spigno river. The sea is on the other side of the Apennines: for work and services people drive towards Cairo Montenotte and the valley.

The population is elderly and shrinking. There were 732 residents in 2023, 125 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 14.6% (Istat, the national statistics office). The average age is 52.0 against 49.7 in the province of Savona, and over-65s make up 32.9%. Foreign residents account for 12.4%. Declared incomes are a little below the provincial average.

The municipality is split into hamlets and scattered houses along the valley. Buyers will find stone rural houses, often with land, and a few newer homes near the valley road. Three things are worth checking before buying: distance from the river and streams, using the official flood maps; the slope, for houses on the hillsides; and the state of roofs and stone walls. This is climate zone D.

Seismic hazard is low. Piana Crixia is in seismic zone 4, like 18 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.051 g.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality, and the report links each address to its land parcel together with the official flood maps.

Key points

  • Val Bormida municipality with the stone mushroom park.
  • 732 residents, down 14.6% since 2011.
  • Average age 52.0, against 49.7 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.051 g.

Overview

Piana Crixia is a municipality in the province of Savona, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 732 residents, ranked 50 of 69 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Piana Crixia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 19 of 69 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.051 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 14.6%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (50). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 12.4% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Piana Crixia declared an average taxable income of 23,146 euros, below the provincial average (24,469 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Piana Crixia is in climate zone D, with 1,996 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 267 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Piana Crixia has 1 pharmacy.

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 3.6% of the land in Piana Crixia, compared with 6.7% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Piana Crixia 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 open contaminated sites in Piana Crixia; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Piana Crixia: 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 Piana Crixia 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 33 inhabited census areas in Piana Crixia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.1%
  • fair 95.9%

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 009048. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.