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Pietrasanta: 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

Search for an address in Pietrasanta

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 Tonfano 1, Pietrasanta.

Pietrasanta, marble, sculptors and the seafront

In Versilia, the coastal strip of northern Tuscany, Pietrasanta is the sculptors' town. For centuries its marble workshops and bronze foundries have worked for artists from all over the world, and the cathedral square below the fortress hill often hosts sculptures and exhibitions. The Apuan Alps rise behind the town, and in front of it the plain runs down to the sea at Marina di Pietrasanta, with Fiumetto, Focette, Tonfano and the Versiliana park.

For buyers these are two different markets. The old town and the surrounding hills have stone houses, narrow streets and views of the coast; the Marina lives on holiday homes and summer tourism, with high prices near the beach and many houses shut in winter. The station on the Pisa to Genoa line and the motorway towards Genoa and Livorno link the town with the rest of Tuscany.

Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 22,788 residents in 2023, down 5.8% on 2011. The population is old, with an average age of 50.0 against 48.1 in the province and over-65s at 29.5%. Foreign residents make up 5.8%. Pietrasanta is number 5 in the province of Lucca by population, and declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Between the mountains and the sea run streams and drainage ditches that can overflow in heavy rain, and on the plain the water table is close to the surface. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps at the address, which is useful both in the hills and near the coast.

For earthquakes the town is in seismic zone 3, like 10 other municipalities in the province, while 22 are in zone 2; expected ground acceleration is about 0.130 g. For old houses in the centre ask about the structure, for villas at the Marina about damp and upkeep. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Marble workshops and foundries between the Apuan Alps and the sea.
  • Marina di Pietrasanta: holiday homes and summer tourism.
  • 22,788 residents, over-65s at 29.5%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.130 g.

Overview

Pietrasanta is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 22,788 residents, ranked 5 of 33 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pietrasanta is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 11 of 33 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.130 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 5.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pietrasanta declared an average taxable income of 25,239 euros, in line with the province (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pietrasanta is in climate zone D, with 1,428 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 14 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pietrasanta has 20 schools and 9 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 56 sports facilities and 13 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 24.8% of the land in Pietrasanta, 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

Pietrasanta 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pietrasanta, 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 Pietrasanta: 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 Pietrasanta 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 174 inhabited census areas in Pietrasanta. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 53.2%
  • good 44.2%
  • very good 2.3%

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

ISTAT code 046024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.