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Rufina: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Rufina

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: Viale Duca della Vittoria 1, Rufina.

Rufina, the Sieve valley and the Chianti Rufina vineyards

Rufina is one of the main towns of the Val di Sieve, north-east of Florence. It stretches along the valley floor beside the river Sieve, shortly before the Sieve joins the Arno at Pontassieve, squeezed between the road and the railway. The hills around are covered by Chianti Rufina vineyards, one of the best-known sub-areas of Chianti, with estates, villas and old farmhouses; the Villa di Poggio Reale above the town houses a museum of vines and wine.

If you work in Florence, the train is a realistic option: the Val di Sieve line stops at Rufina and reaches the city via Pontassieve. The hill hamlets are more isolated, and living there without a car is hard. The market ranges from flats in the town to farmhouses in the hills, often restored, with very different prices and issues.

There are 7,058 residents (2023), down 4.4% since 2011. The average age is 48.7, a little higher than the metropolitan area's 47.3; over-65s are 27.5% and foreign residents 7.4%. Declared incomes are below the Florence average.

The Mugello and the Sieve valley have a history of earthquakes. Rufina is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, together with 12 other municipalities in the metropolitan area, and its expected ground acceleration is about 0.170 g. In restored farmhouses, ask how floors, roofs and walls were dealt with and whether the structural paperwork is in order.

Near the Sieve and the streams feeding it, flood hazard has to be checked house by house, and on the farmed slopes so does landslide hazard. The report does this for the address, starting from the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Sieve valley among Chianti Rufina vineyards, trains to Florence.
  • 7,058 residents, down 4.4% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 27.5%, average age 48.7.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.170 g.

Overview

Rufina is a municipality in the province of Firenze, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 7,058 residents, ranked 32 of 41 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rufina is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 13 of 41 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.170 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Rufina, 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 4.4%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 7.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rufina declared an average taxable income of 24,465 euros, below the provincial average (27,023 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Rufina is in climate zone D, with 1,939 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 115 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rufina has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 2 sports facilities.

There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 5.1% of the land in Rufina, compared with 7.4% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Rufina is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. 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 open contaminated sites in Rufina; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Rufina: 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 Rufina 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 67 inhabited census areas in Rufina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 18.6%
  • fair 81.4%

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

ISTAT code 048037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.