Pietra Ligure: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Savona, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Pietra Ligure
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: Viale della Repubblica 1, Pietra Ligure.
Pietra Ligure, sea, hills and the Santa Corona hospital
On the Riviera di Ponente, the western Ligurian coast, between Loano and Finale Ligure, Pietra Ligure keeps its old centre right behind the beach, with hills rising straight up behind. The Maremola stream runs through it into the sea. Beyond beach tourism, the town has a role few coastal places share: it is home to Santa Corona, one of the main hospitals in the province of Savona and a big local employer.
The housing market reflects this double identity. Alongside resident families there are many flats used as second homes, often by families from Lombardy and Piedmont, with prices rising the closer you get to the seafront. On the hills there are villas and scattered houses, on steep roads with narrow access. The coastal railway and the Autostrada dei Fiori motorway connect the town with Savona and Genoa one way and with Sanremo and France the other.
The population is older than average: the estimated average age is 51.3, above the provincial 49.7, and over-65s make up 32.5%. In 2023 there were 8,284 residents, 6.7% fewer than in 2011. Foreign residents account for 9.1%.
The province of Savona spans three seismic zones; Pietra Ligure is one of 46 municipalities in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.092 g. In the old stone buildings of the centre, and in blocks put up quickly during the tourist boom, take a close look at the structure, roof and facades.
The most serious issue on the Ligurian coast is intense rainfall. Short, steep streams like the Maremola can rise within hours, and slopes can give way. The report finds the plot on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps and checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address.
Key points
- Riviera town between Loano and Finale, home to Santa Corona hospital.
- Average age 51.3; over-65s at 32.5%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.092 g.
- Short, steep streams: landslides and floods read by address.
Overview
Pietra Ligure is a municipality in the province of Savona, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 8,284 residents, ranked 9 of 69 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pietra Ligure is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 69) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.092 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 6.7%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (50). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 9.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pietra Ligure declared an average taxable income of 24,516 euros, in line with the province (24,469 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Pietra Ligure is in climate zone C, with 1,285 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, Pietra Ligure has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.0).
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 24.1% of the land in Pietra Ligure, 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
Pietra Ligure 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 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 Pietra Ligure, and one more has 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 Pietra Ligure: 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 Pietra Ligure 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 57 inhabited census areas in Pietra Ligure. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 25.4%
- good 74.6%
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
- 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 Liguria, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- 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 009049. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.