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Porto Torres: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Porto Torres

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 Sassari 1, Porto Torres.

Porto Torres, northern Sardinia's port on the Gulf of Asinara

Porto Torres is the main port of north-west Sardinia, on the Gulf of Asinara, about twenty kilometres from Sassari. Ferries from the mainland dock here, and this is where the SS131 Carlo Felice road ends after crossing the island from Cagliari. The town began as the Roman colony of Turris Libisonis and keeps the basilica of San Gavino, one of the largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia.

Next to the port lies the industrial area, built around petrochemicals and now partly converted to other uses. For buyers the neighbourhood matters a great deal: the streets close to the port and the plants feel quite different from the residential areas towards the Balai coast, with its beaches and houses facing the sea. Many residents work in Sassari, which is linked by the main road and by rail.

The population is falling. Istat, the national statistics office, records 21,041 residents in 2023, down 6.0% on 2011, or 1,350 people. Over-65s make up 25.6%, slightly below the provincial average of 26.6%, and foreign nationals just 1.5%. Overture Maps data list 27 sports facilities, more per resident than the province, while healthcare sites are thinner on the ground and many appointments mean a trip to Sassari.

Earthquakes are a minor concern here. All 66 municipalities of the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class in the Civil Protection map, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.050 g. In a seaside town, salt on steel and façades, the state of the roofs and damp matter more: in a block from the 1960s or 1970s it is worth reading the condominium minutes on façade repairs. The climate is mild, with short winters.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps, and the report finds the plot from the address. On the coast and along the streams running down to the sea, flood hazard is checked point by point.

Key points

  • Ferry port and end point of the Carlo Felice road.
  • 21,041 residents, down 6.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4 across the province, acceleration about 0.050 g.
  • Romanesque basilica of San Gavino, industrial area beside the port.

Overview

Porto Torres is a municipality in the province of Sassari, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 21,041 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Porto Torres is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 66 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 6.0%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Porto Torres declared an average taxable income of 20,707 euros, in line with the province (21,361 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Porto Torres is in climate zone C, with 948 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 17 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Porto Torres has 17 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 15 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 27 sports facilities and 8 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.9).

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 12.5% of the land in Porto Torres, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 31.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Porto Torres is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Porto Torres: 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 Porto Torres 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 62 inhabited census areas in Porto Torres. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 2.2%
  • good 42.0%
  • very good 55.7%

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

ISTAT code 112045. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.