Piazza al Serchio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Lucca, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Piazza al Serchio
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 San Leonardo 1, Piazza al Serchio.
Piazza al Serchio, upper Garfagnana between two mountain ranges
In the upper Garfagnana, where the Serchio valley narrows between the Apuan Alps and the Apennines, Piazza al Serchio is the hub for the surrounding villages. The main village sits on the valley floor at around 500 metres, and the municipality includes several hamlets on the slopes above. Lucca lies down the valley, reached by car or by the Lucca-Aulla railway, which climbs through the Garfagnana and stops here.
Buyers mostly find stone houses in the hamlets, often needing work, and a few newer buildings near the centre. Many are second homes owned by families who live elsewhere. Before buying, check winter access, the roof and the heating: this is climate zone E and the cold is real. For day-to-day shopping the data show 5 food shops and 1 pharmacy.
The population is falling quickly. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 2,084 residents in 2023, 15.2% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 51.6, against 48.1 in the province of Lucca, and 31.8% of residents are over 65. Foreign nationals make up 3.4%. Declared incomes are also below the provincial average.
The Garfagnana is one of Tuscany's more earthquake-prone areas. Piazza al Serchio is in zone 2 with 21 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration is 0.203 g. With an old masonry building, ask whether it has been strengthened and have a surveyor look at tie rods, floors and roof.
The report finds the parcel on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps and checks the official landslide and flood maps for that point, which can give different answers on the valley floor and on the slopes.
Key points
- Upper Garfagnana, on the Lucca-Aulla railway.
- Population down 15.2% since 2011.
- Over-65s at 31.8%, average age 51.6.
- Seismic zone 2: ask about structural strengthening.
Overview
Piazza al Serchio is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 2,084 residents, ranked 21 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Piazza al Serchio is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (22 of 33) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.203 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Piazza al Serchio, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 15.2%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Piazza al Serchio declared an average taxable income of 21,892 euros, below the provincial average (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Piazza al Serchio is in climate zone E, with 2,764 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 536 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Piazza al Serchio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 sports facility.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 5.2% of the land in Piazza al Serchio, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Piazza al Serchio 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 no contaminated sites in Piazza al Serchio.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Piazza al Serchio: 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 Piazza al Serchio 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 26 inhabited census areas in Piazza al Serchio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 4.7%
- fair 95.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 046023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.