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Portoferraio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Portoferraio

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 di Valcarene 1, Portoferraio.

Portoferraio, Elba's ferry port and Napoleon's exile

Portoferraio is the gateway to the island of Elba. Most ferries from Piombino arrive here, and it is home to the hospital, offices and secondary schools serving the whole island. The old town, built by the Medici in the sixteenth century as a fortified stronghold, occupies a headland enclosed by walls and forts around the old harbour. Napoleon spent his months of exile here in 1814 and 1815, and his residence, the Palazzina dei Mulini, can still be visited.

Island life has its own rules. Links with the mainland depend on ferry timetables, which thin out in winter, and any renovation costs more because materials have to be shipped in. In the historic centre houses stand on stepped lanes, often out of reach of cars; in the newer areas around the bay and in the outlying villages there are small villas and flats, many used as second homes or let in summer. Bars and restaurants number 10.22 per 1,000 residents, against 7.97 in the province.

Istat, the national statistics institute, recorded 11,845 residents in 2023, up 1.8% on 2011. The estimated average age, 47.9, is lower than in the province of Livorno, and over-65s are 25.9%. Households are small, with 2.08 members on average. Healthcare facilities, 1.18 per 1,000 residents against 0.77, reflect the town's role as the island's centre.

Earthquake hazard is among the lowest in Tuscany: Portoferraio is in seismic zone 4, like 12 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.033 g. For houses near the sea, look instead at salt damage, rusting balcony steel and waterproofing.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are published. In the most violent storms the streams coming down from the hills can swell quickly, as Elba has seen before, and the report checks the official flood maps for the address.

Key points

  • Ferry port for Piombino, with the hospital and schools for the whole island.
  • Healthcare: 1.18 facilities per 1,000 residents.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.033 g.
  • Population up 1.8% since 2011.

Overview

Portoferraio is a municipality in the province of Livorno, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 11,845 residents, ranked 7 of 19 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Portoferraio is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (13 of 19) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.033 g, a low 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 grown by 1.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 7.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Portoferraio declared an average taxable income of 23,560 euros, in line with the province (24,772 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Portoferraio is in climate zone C, with 1,025 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 4 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Portoferraio has 11 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 11 parks and green areas.

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 9.8% of the land in Portoferraio, compared with 10.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Portoferraio 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Portoferraio. 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 Portoferraio: 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 Portoferraio 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 80 inhabited census areas in Portoferraio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 38.1%
  • good 42.0%
  • very good 19.9%

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 049014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.