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Sambuca Pistoiese: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sambuca Pistoiese

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: Localita' Treppio 1, Sambuca Pistoiese.

Sambuca Pistoiese, the Apennines on the Emilia border

Sambuca Pistoiese is the mountain municipality of the Pistoia area that reaches the border with Emilia-Romagna, on the Apennine ridge between Pistoia and Bologna. It has no single compact centre: it is a cluster of hamlets and small villages scattered through the valleys, with chestnut and beech woods, stone houses and mountain roads. For work and services people look partly to Pistoia and partly to the Emilian side and the Reno valley.

Buyers here need to weigh up distance and altitude. Services are few and far between, and the report helps by showing how far the nearest pharmacy or shop is from the house. In winter (climate zone E) snow and ice make access, insulation and heating important. Many stone houses need their roof, floors and damp checked.

There were 1,426 residents in 2023, down 15.1% on the 1,680 of 2011. The average age is 50.5, against 47.5 in the province, and over-65s make up 30.0%. Foreign residents account for 8.1%.

In the province of Pistoia, 6 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale and 14 in zone 3. Sambuca is in zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of 0.199 g. For a masonry house, ask about any strengthening work and the state of the ties between walls and roof.

On the Apennine slopes the report checks the official landslide maps for the address, and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Pistoia mountains on the Emilia border.
  • Scattered hamlets, distant services: check distances.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.199 g.
  • Residents down 15.1% since 2011.

Overview

Sambuca Pistoiese is a municipality in the province of Pistoia, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 1,426 residents, among the smallest in the province (20 of 20).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sambuca Pistoiese is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 6 of 20 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.199 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Sambuca Pistoiese, 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 15.1%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 8.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sambuca Pistoiese declared an average taxable income of 20,575 euros, below the provincial average (23,480 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sambuca Pistoiese is in climate zone E, with 2,594 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 504 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sambuca Pistoiese has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 parks and green areas.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 2.5% of the land in Sambuca Pistoiese, compared with 10.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sambuca Pistoiese 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 contaminated sites in Sambuca Pistoiese.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sambuca Pistoiese: 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 Sambuca Pistoiese 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 68 inhabited census areas in Sambuca Pistoiese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 10.2%
  • fair 89.8%

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

ISTAT code 047018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.