Riomaggiore: 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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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 Colombo 1, Riomaggiore.
Riomaggiore and Manarola, the southern end of the Cinque Terre
The municipality of Riomaggiore takes in two of the five Cinque Terre villages, Riomaggiore and Manarola, plus a few hamlets up on the hillside. This is the stretch closest to La Spezia: tall, narrow houses packed into the valleys of streams that run down to the sea, tiny landing places for boats and terraced vineyards on the slopes. Much of the land lies within the Cinque Terre National Park.
The housing market here revolves around tourism. Many flats are let to visitors, and in summer the lanes are crowded. Trains on the Genoa to La Spezia line stop at both Riomaggiore and Manarola, and La Spezia is only minutes away. By car everything is harder: roads are narrow, parking spaces rare, and in the villages many houses can only be reached on foot, up flights of steps.
The population has dropped markedly: there are 1,313 residents (2023), 356 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 21.3%. It is also an older population, with an average age of 53.7 against 48.6 in the province and over-65s at 39.2%. Foreign residents make up 5.0%. Average declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.
Riomaggiore is in seismic zone 3, like 24 other municipalities in the province of La Spezia, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.110 g. In stone terraced houses built against one another, ask about work on walls, floors and roof, and check the shared parts with the neighbours.
The dry-stone walls of the terraces need constant upkeep and the streams run steeply to the sea. The report starts from the address, identifies the land parcel and reads the official landslide and flood maps for that spot.
Key points
- Riomaggiore and Manarola, the Cinque Terre villages nearest La Spezia.
- Trains to La Spezia and Genoa; many homes reachable only on foot.
- 1,313 residents, over-65s at 39.2%.
- Seismic zone 3; terraces and streams checked by address.
Overview
Riomaggiore is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,313 residents, ranked 18 of 32 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Riomaggiore 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 0.110 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 21.3%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 39% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 5.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Riomaggiore declared an average taxable income of 27,038 euros, above the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Riomaggiore is in climate zone D, with 1,437 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 35 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Riomaggiore has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 4 parks and green areas.
There are 1.5 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).
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 4.4% of the land in Riomaggiore, 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
Riomaggiore 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 Riomaggiore.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Riomaggiore: 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 Riomaggiore 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 14 inhabited census areas in Riomaggiore. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 9.2%
- fair 90.8%
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 011024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.