Rocchetta di Vara: 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 Rocchetta di Vara
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 Campo Picchiara 1, Rocchetta di Vara.
Rocchetta di Vara, a green corner of the Vara valley
Rocchetta di Vara lies inland from La Spezia, in the valley of the river Vara, well away from the traffic of the Ligurian coast. The main village is at around 220 metres, but the municipality climbs wooded slopes with small hamlets and scattered houses. People who live here drive down towards La Spezia and the sea for work and for the main services.
It is a place to weigh up calmly. Stone houses in the hamlets often have irregular layouts, outside stairs and ground-floor rooms that were once stables or cellars, and renovation can change the final cost a great deal. Near the river and the streams running into the valley the flood maps are worth reading, and on the slopes the landslide maps: the report checks both for the exact address.
In 2023 Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 646 residents, 139 fewer than in 2011 (down 17.7%). The average age is 52.0, higher than the 48.6 of the province, and over-65s make up 33.0% against 27.8% provincially. Average declared income is well below the provincial figure.
The seismic data set Rocchetta apart from most of the province. It is in zone 2 of the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, which applies to 7 municipalities around La Spezia, while the other 25 are in zone 3; the expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.152 g. For a masonry house, ask when it was built, what structural work has been done and whether there is any technical documentation.
Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), so the report finds the land parcel and building from the address.
Key points
- Municipality in the Vara valley, inland from La Spezia.
- 646 residents, down 17.7% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, like 7 municipalities in the province.
- Near the river and on slopes: check flood and landslide maps.
Overview
Rocchetta di Vara is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 646 residents, ranked 26 of 32 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rocchetta di Vara is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 7 of 32 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.152 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Rocchetta di Vara, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 17.7%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (49). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 7.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rocchetta di Vara declared an average taxable income of 18,859 euros, below the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Rocchetta di Vara is in climate zone D, with 1,934 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 220 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rocchetta di Vara has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 green area.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 3.5% of the land in Rocchetta di Vara, 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
Rocchetta di Vara 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 Rocchetta di Vara.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Rocchetta di Vara: 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 Rocchetta di Vara 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 22 inhabited census areas in Rocchetta di Vara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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 011025. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.