San Bartolomeo al Mare: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Bartolomeo al Mare
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 Aurelia 1, San Bartolomeo al Mare.
San Bartolomeo al Mare, the Riviera next to Diano Marina
Driving along the Aurelia coast road you hardly notice passing from Diano Marina into San Bartolomeo al Mare: the two towns run into each other on the Gulf of Diano, on the western Ligurian Riviera in the province of Imperia. San Bartolomeo has the beach, the seafront and a narrow built-up strip between the sea and the olive-covered hills that rise straight behind the town, with a few hamlets further inland.
It is a holiday resort and the housing market shows it. Alongside residents there are many second homes, mostly owned by families from Piedmont and Lombardy, and in summer the population clearly swells. Buyers find flats in blocks near the sea and villas or old farmhouses in the hills, where roads are narrow and steep. Imperia is a few kilometres away for offices and services.
Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 2,958 residents in 2023, down 5.4% since 2011. The average age of 49.7 is slightly above the provincial 48.7, over-65s make up 29.7% and foreign nationals 12.2%. Incomes are close to the provincial average.
San Bartolomeo al Mare is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.144 g. The western Riviera has a seismic history worth taking seriously, so for a block of flats from the 1960s or 1970s ask whether a structural assessment has been done. The short streams coming down from the hills rise fast in heavy rain, and on the slopes gradient matters: the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.
Key points
- Gulf of Diano, running into Diano Marina.
- Seaside second homes and villas in the olive hills.
- 2,958 residents, over-65s at 29.7%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.144 g.
Overview
San Bartolomeo al Mare is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,958 residents, ranked 10 of 66 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Bartolomeo al Mare is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.144 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Bartolomeo al Mare, 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 5.4%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 12.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Bartolomeo al Mare declared an average taxable income of 21,194 euros, in line with the province (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Bartolomeo al Mare is in climate zone C, with 1,240 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 26 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Bartolomeo al Mare has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 2.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).
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 15.8% of the land in San Bartolomeo al Mare, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Bartolomeo al Mare is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 San Bartolomeo al Mare; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Bartolomeo al Mare: 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 San Bartolomeo al Mare 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 49 inhabited census areas in San Bartolomeo al Mare. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.7%
- fair 70.1%
- good 24.2%
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 008052. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.