Pontedassio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Pontedassio
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 Torino 1, Pontedassio.
Pontedassio, the Impero valley behind Imperia
Heading inland from Imperia up the valley of the Impero stream, Pontedassio is one of the first municipalities after the town. The village sits on the valley floor and the nearby slopes, which are covered with terraced olive groves, along the main road that climbs to the Colle di Nava and Piedmont. The sea is a few kilometres away, but the feel is that of the Ligurian hinterland, with stone hamlets on the hills and newer houses lower down.
For a buyer, the difference between the valley floor and the hills is clear. Along the main road are the newer buildings, shops and services: there are 8 supermarkets on record, quite a few for a municipality this size. In the hill hamlets you find old houses on several floors, often with strips of olive grove and narrow access. Imperia, with jobs, upper secondary schools and the hospital, is a few minutes away.
Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,343 residents (2023), down 0.6% from 2,356 in 2011, so numbers are almost stable. The average age is 46.8, lower than the provincial 48.7, and over-65s are 24.4% against 28.5% across the province. Foreign residents make up 13.9%, a high share for a small village. Incomes are slightly above the provincial average.
Pontedassio is in seismic zone 2 under the Civil Protection classification, like 29 other municipalities in the province of Imperia, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.155 g. In the stone houses of the hamlets, ask whether walls and floors have been reinforced and under which permits.
A narrow valley with a stream running through it calls for attention to where the house sits: the report checks the official flood maps along the Impero and the landslide maps on the slopes at the address. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are available.
Key points
- Impero valley, Ligurian hinterland behind Imperia
- 8 supermarkets along the valley floor
- Average age 46.8, foreign residents at 13.9%
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.155 g
Overview
Pontedassio is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,343 residents, ranked 12 of 66 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pontedassio is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.155 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Pontedassio, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, lower than the province average (49). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 13.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pontedassio declared an average taxable income of 21,963 euros, in line with the province (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Pontedassio is in climate zone C, with 1,354 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 80 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pontedassio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 sports facility.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 7.8% of the land in Pontedassio, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Pontedassio 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Pontedassio. 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 Pontedassio: 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 Pontedassio 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 13 inhabited census areas in Pontedassio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 73.8%
- good 26.2%
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 008045. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.