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Pornassio: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pornassio

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 Nazionale 1, Pornassio.

Pornassio, the upper Arroscia valley and the Nava pass

The main road linking the coast at Imperia to Piedmont climbs the upper Arroscia valley and crosses the Nava pass, inside Pornassio's territory. The municipality is made up of several settlements: the village on the hillside, hamlets along the valley and, higher up, Nava with its nineteenth-century forts. This is genuine Ligurian mountain country, with woods and meadows.

Buying in Pornassio means choosing cool summers and a quiet life, accepting climate zone E winters and drives to secondary schools, hospital care and work, which are towards Imperia or Albenga. Houses are mostly stone, old village homes or rural buildings; many are second homes. Before buying, look at the roof, damp, the services and car access.

There were 569 residents in 2023, 2.6% fewer than in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. Foreign residents make up 16.5%, while over-65s are at 33.0% against 28.5% in the province of Imperia. Households are small, averaging 1.70 people. Average declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

In the province of Imperia, municipalities are split between seismic zone 2 (30) and zone 3 (36) in the Civil Protection classification. Pornassio is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.141 g. For a stone house, a check on walls, floors and roof is worthwhile.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report finds the land parcel from the address. On the steep valley sides, landslides and gradient are read for the exact position on the official maps.

Key points

  • Upper Arroscia valley, on the road over the Nava pass.
  • Foreign residents at 16.5%, over-65s at 33.0%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.141 g.
  • Stone houses and second homes: roof and access to check.

Overview

Pornassio is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 569 residents, ranked 39 of 66 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pornassio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.141 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 2.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 16.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pornassio declared an average taxable income of 20,138 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pornassio is in climate zone E, with 2,866 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 630 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pornassio has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 2.5% of the land in Pornassio, 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

Pornassio 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 no contaminated sites in Pornassio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pornassio: 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 Pornassio 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 14 inhabited census areas in Pornassio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 008046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.