Porcari: 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
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Search for an address in Porcari
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 Romana Ovest 1, Porcari.
Porcari, paper mills on the plain east of Lucca
Porcari is one of the towns on the Lucca plain, east of the city, along the road and railway heading towards Altopascio and Florence. It is flat, only a few metres above sea level, and has long been one of the hubs of the Lucca paper district: paper mills and converting plants employ a large part of the area.
For buyers the location is convenient. Lucca is close, Porcari station is on the Lucca to Florence line, and the Florence to the coast motorway, the A11, runs nearby. The downside is lorry traffic linked to the mills and industrial sheds right next to homes, so before making an offer look carefully at what surrounds the address, including noise and smells.
At the end of 2023 there were 8,840 residents, up 2.7% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. Porcari is younger than the province of Lucca: estimated average age 45.1 against 48.1, over-65s at 22.3% against 26.8%. Foreign residents make up 11.2%, and declared incomes are close to the provincial average. A high share of the land is built on, between houses, roads and industry.
Porcari is in seismic zone 3, like 11 municipalities in the province, while the other 22 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration is about 0.130 g. For terraced and detached houses from the 1960s and 1970s, ask whether any structural work has been done and look for cracks and settlement, which are common on plain soils.
On a low plain crossed by canals and ditches, flood hazard is read for the individual address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report works back from the address to the land parcel.
Key points
- Lucca plain, one of the hubs of the paper industry.
- Station on the Lucca to Florence line, A11 motorway close by.
- Average age 45.1, younger than the province (48.1).
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.130 g.
Overview
Porcari is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 8,840 residents, ranked 10 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Porcari 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 grown by 2.7%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (48). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 11.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Porcari declared an average taxable income of 24,108 euros, in line with the province (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Porcari is in climate zone D, with 1,676 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 32 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Porcari has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 29.2% of the land in Porcari, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Porcari 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 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Porcari, and 4 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 Porcari: 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 Porcari 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 50 inhabited census areas in Porcari. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 20.3%
- fair 79.7%
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 046026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.