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Pontremoli: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pontremoli

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: Localita' Casacorvi 1, Pontremoli.

Pontremoli, gateway to Lunigiana on the Magra

Pontremoli is the main town of upper Lunigiana, at the far northern tip of Tuscany, where the Verde stream flows into the river Magra. The historic centre is squeezed between the two watercourses and overlooked by the Piagnaro castle, home to the museum of the Lunigiana stele statues, prehistoric carved stones found in the valley. The town is a stop on the Via Francigena pilgrim route and is known across Italy for the Bancarella literary prize, awarded by booksellers.

Connections are better than you might expect in the mountains: there is a station on the Pontremolese line between Parma and La Spezia, and a junction on the Cisa motorway (A15). The market includes stone houses in the centre, often on several floors without a lift, and many villages and hamlets scattered over the surrounding hills, some with only a handful of residents.

The population is falling and ageing. There are 6,862 residents (2023), 10.1% fewer than in 2011; the average age is 51.0 and over-65s make up 32.9%, against 28.8% in the province of Massa-Carrara. Foreign residents account for 9.0%.

Lunigiana is one of the earthquake-prone parts of Tuscany. Pontremoli is in seismic zone 2 of the national classification, like 14 of the 17 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.200 g. In the masonry buildings of the old town, built wall to wall, ask whether floors and roofs have been strengthened and whether the building has works planned, since costs on shared parts are split between all owners.

With two watercourses meeting in town and steep slopes all around, flooding and landslides are the main things to check. The report does this for the exact address, using the official maps.

Key points

  • Upper Lunigiana, where the Verde meets the Magra.
  • Station on the Parma-La Spezia line and an A15 motorway junction.
  • Population down 10.1%; over-65s at 32.9%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.200 g.

Overview

Pontremoli is a municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 6,862 residents, ranked 6 of 17 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pontremoli is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (14 of 17) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.200 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pontremoli, 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 10.1%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 9.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pontremoli declared an average taxable income of 23,804 euros, in line with the province (23,864 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pontremoli is in climate zone E, with 2,166 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 236 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pontremoli has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.3 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 3.3% of the land in Pontremoli, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pontremoli 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Pontremoli, 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 Pontremoli: 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 Pontremoli 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 144 inhabited census areas in Pontremoli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.2%
  • fair 39.0%
  • good 27.5%
  • very good 31.3%

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 045014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.