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Recco: 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 Recco

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 Roma 1, Recco.

Recco, on the Golfo Paradiso between Genoa and Camogli

Between Genoa and Camogli, where a narrow valley opens onto the sea, Recco is the largest town on the Golfo Paradiso. Outside Liguria it is known for focaccia col formaggio, a thin cheese-filled flatbread, and for its water polo club, one of the most successful in Europe. Trains on the Genoa-La Spezia line stop here and the A12 motorway junction sits on the slopes above town, so Genoa is a short trip by rail or by car.

Most of what you see today dates from after the war. During the Second World War, bombing aimed at the railway viaduct destroyed nearly all of the centre, which was rebuilt in the following years. For buyers this means mainly blocks of flats from the 1950s and 1960s, where lifts, façades and building services need assessing case by case; older houses are found in the hill hamlets.

At the end of 2023 there were 9,345 residents, down 7.5% on 2011. The population is old even by Ligurian standards: an average age of 50.9, with people over 65 at 33.0% against 29.1% for the Genoa metropolitan area. Foreign residents make up 5.0%. Declared incomes are above the metropolitan average.

Earthquake hazard is moderate. Recco is in seismic zone 3 under the Civil Protection Department's classification, like 64 of the 67 municipalities around Genoa, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.080 g. In post-war blocks, the condition of the reinforced concrete, balconies and façades exposed to salt air matters most, together with any repair costs the owners' meeting has already approved.

Water is the point to check most carefully. The stream through the town and the smaller ones coming down from the hills can rise within hours during heavy autumn rain. The report finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Golfo Paradiso town with a railway station and A12 junction.
  • Centre rebuilt after the war: assess each building on its own.
  • 9,345 residents, 33.0% aged over 65.
  • Seismic zone 3; check streams on the flood maps.

Overview

Recco is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 9,345 residents, among the most populous in the province (7 of 67).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Recco 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 7.5%. 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 5.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Recco declared an average taxable income of 28,120 euros, above the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Recco is in climate zone D, with 1,418 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 5 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Recco has 8 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 18 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 (0.5).

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 16.7% of the land in Recco, 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

Recco 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Recco, and one more has been cleaned up or closed. 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 Recco: 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 Recco 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 54 inhabited census areas in Recco. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 33.9%
  • good 56.2%
  • very good 9.9%

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 010047. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.