Portovenere: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of La Spezia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Portovenere
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 Olivo 12, Portovenere.
Portovenere, the seafront village, Palmaria and the gulf
At the western tip of the Gulf of La Spezia, Portovenere looks out to the open sea on one side and the gulf on the other. The village, with tall coloured houses along the harbour and the church of San Pietro on the headland, is part of the Unesco World Heritage site together with the Cinque Terre and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. The municipality also includes the hamlets on the gulf, such as Le Grazie and Fezzano, which are more residential and closer to La Spezia.
The market here is that of a sought-after seaside resort. Many homes are second homes or holiday lets, space is tight and parking rare. In the old village flats are small, often on several levels without a lift, and building work is subject to landscape protection rules; in the hamlets there are small blocks of flats and houses with gardens on the hillside. La Spezia is the reference city for services, trains and work.
The population is falling and very elderly: 3,257 residents in 2023, down 12.0% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office, with an average age of 53.2 against 48.6 for the province and over-65s at 35.4%. Foreign residents make up 3.8%. Declared incomes are well above the average for the province of La Spezia.
Portovenere is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 24 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of about 0.111 g. In the old buildings of the village and houses built on terraces, load-bearing walls, floors and retaining walls are what count.
Between steep slopes and the coast, the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and identifies the cadastral parcel.
Key points
- Tip of the Gulf of La Spezia, Unesco site with the Cinque Terre.
- Hamlets on the gulf, Le Grazie and Fezzano.
- Average age 53.2, over-65s at 35.4%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.111 g.
Overview
Portovenere is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 3,257 residents, ranked 14 of 32 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Portovenere is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.111 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 12.0%. 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 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Portovenere declared an average taxable income of 33,393 euros, above the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Portovenere is in climate zone D, with 1,454 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 8 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Portovenere has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 15.9% of the land in Portovenere, 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
Portovenere 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Portovenere. 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 Portovenere: 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 Portovenere 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 23 inhabited census areas in Portovenere. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 61.5%
- good 38.4%
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 Liguria, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- 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 011022. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.