Poggio a Caiano: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Prato, 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 Poggio a Caiano
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 Statale 1, Poggio a Caiano.
Poggio a Caiano, a Medici villa on the Ombrone near Prato
The Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, built for Lorenzo the Magnificent to a design by Giuliano da Sangallo, looks down on the town from a small rise and is part of the UNESCO site of Medici villas and gardens in Tuscany. Around it has grown a municipality that is small in area but densely populated, on the plain between Prato, Pistoia and Florence, along the Ombrone Pistoiese river.
Buyers in Poggio a Caiano mostly find flats and terraced houses, with Prato and its businesses about a quarter of an hour's drive away and Florence a little further. Much of the municipality is built on, roughly a third, and the green space is concentrated around the villa and towards the Carmignano hills. On the main roads the traffic is noticeable, especially at rush hour.
There were 9,917 residents in 2023, up 3.0% on 2011. In a province of just 7 municipalities, Poggio a Caiano ranks number 4 by population. The estimated average age is 46.0 and over-65s make up 24.6%, above 22.9% for the province but below the Tuscan average. Foreign residents account for 15.0%, in line with the Prato area, and declared incomes are above the provincial average.
The town is in seismic zone 3, as are 2 others in the province, while 4 are in zone 2, including those of the Bisenzio valley. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.130 g. In a block of flats from the 1960s or 1970s, ask for the design date and whether any structural work has been done.
Water is the point to watch most closely. The Ombrone and the streams of the plain can burst their banks in the low-lying areas, and the hazard varies a lot from one street to the next. The report reads the official maps for the exact address and traces the plot using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- UNESCO-listed Medici villa, on the plain between Prato, Pistoia and Florence.
- Population up 3.0% since 2011; foreign residents at 15.0%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.130 g.
- Ombrone and streams: check flood hazard for the address.
Overview
Poggio a Caiano is a municipality in the province of Prato, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 9,917 residents, ranked 4 of 7 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Poggio a Caiano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 3 of 7 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 grown by 3.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 15.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Poggio a Caiano declared an average taxable income of 25,378 euros, above the provincial average (23,681 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Poggio a Caiano is in climate zone D, with 1,732 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 45 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Poggio a Caiano has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.8 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 32.4% of the land in Poggio a Caiano, compared with 14.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Poggio a Caiano 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 no open contaminated sites in Poggio a Caiano; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Poggio a Caiano: 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 Poggio a Caiano 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 52 inhabited census areas in Poggio a Caiano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 35.5%
- good 64.5%
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 100004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.