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Portofino: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Portofino

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: Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta 1, Portofino.

Portofino, the bay and the headland on the Tigullio gulf

The coloured houses around the piazzetta and the little harbour are known worldwide, but the municipality of Portofino is mostly a headland of scrub, olive groves and villas between the Tigullio gulf and the Golfo Paradiso, protected by a nature park and a marine reserve. By car you arrive from Santa Margherita Ligure on a single coast road, narrow and busy in summer, or you come by boat. The nearest railway station is Santa Margherita.

The property market here follows its own rules. Many homes are second homes, sales are infrequent and landscape protection rules affect every change, from façades to window frames. Before signing, have a surveyor confirm the building is fully compliant with planning records and what a renovation can actually include. For villas on the headland slopes, the report checks the official landslide maps at the exact address.

In 2023 there were 358 residents, 95 fewer than the 453 of 2011, a fall of 21.0% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 52.6, against 49.0 in the metropolitan area of Genoa, and over-65s make up 34.6%. Households average 1.78 people. Incomes declared by residents are far above the provincial average.

For earthquakes the municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, like 63 other municipalities around Genoa, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.080 g in the built-up area. In historic stone buildings that share walls, structural work needs to be coordinated with the neighbours.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, so the report traces the address back to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Headland between Tigullio and Golfo Paradiso, with park and marine reserve.
  • Many second homes, landscape rules on every building job.
  • 358 residents, down 21.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.080 g.

Overview

Portofino is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 358 residents, among the smallest in the province (60 of 67).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Portofino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.080 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 21.0%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 5.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Portofino declared an average taxable income of 61,617 euros, above the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Portofino is in climate zone D, with 1,414 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Portofino has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 3 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 6.4% of the land in Portofino, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Portofino 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 Portofino.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Portofino: 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 Portofino 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 10 inhabited census areas in Portofino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 33.9%
  • good 66.1%

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 010044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.