San Giovanni Valdarno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Arezzo, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Giovanni Valdarno
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 Spartaco Lavagnini 1, San Giovanni Valdarno.
San Giovanni Valdarno, Masaccio's planned town on the Arno
The parallel streets and the squares around the Palazzo d'Arnolfo tell the story of San Giovanni Valdarno's origins: it was a terra nuova, a fortified new town founded by Florence in the Middle Ages on the Arno, halfway between Florence and Arezzo. Masaccio, the painter who opened the Renaissance, was born here. From the late nineteenth century the town grew around its ironworks and the lignite mines in the nearby hills, and its small, mostly flat territory is still densely built.
The station on the Florence to Rome line, with regional trains to Florence and Arezzo, is a real advantage for anyone working elsewhere. San Giovanni acts as a service centre for the Valdarno: Overture Maps data record 18 schools and education sites, 1.09 per 1,000 residents against 0.95 in the province. The old centre offers flats in historic buildings close to shops and the station; the outer districts are mainly blocks of flats and detached houses.
In 2023 there were 16,469 residents, down 2.5% since 2011, making up 4.9% of the province of Arezzo. The estimated average age is 47.9, close to the provincial 47.6; over-65s are 27.3%. Foreign residents, at 11.9%, are a larger share than the provincial average.
In the province, 24 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 of the national classification and 12 in zone 3, San Giovanni included: zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.125 g. In the masonry buildings of the old centre, built long before modern standards, ask what work has been done on the roof, floors and walls.
The Arno runs alongside the town, and near the river flood hazard is the first check. The report does it on the official maps for the address and finds the plot on the land registry maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- Florentine planned town on the Arno, birthplace of Masaccio.
- Station on the Florence to Rome line, between Florence and Arezzo.
- 1.09 schools per 1,000 residents, against 0.95 in the province.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.125 g.
Overview
San Giovanni Valdarno is a municipality in the province of Arezzo, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 16,469 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 36).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Giovanni Valdarno is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 12 of 36 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.125 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 2.5%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 11.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Giovanni Valdarno declared an average taxable income of 24,510 euros, in line with the province (24,383 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Giovanni Valdarno is in climate zone D, with 1,937 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 134 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Giovanni Valdarno has 18 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 9 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.7 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).
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 18.2% of the land in San Giovanni Valdarno, compared with 5.4% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Giovanni Valdarno 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in San Giovanni Valdarno, and 3 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Giovanni Valdarno: 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 Giovanni Valdarno 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 San Giovanni Valdarno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.1%
- fair 42.0%
- good 57.0%
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 Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 051033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.