Santa Margherita di Staffora: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Pavia, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Santa Margherita di Staffora
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: Frazione Cegni 1, Santa Margherita di Staffora.
Santa Margherita di Staffora, the upper valley of the mountain Oltrepò
In the upper Valle Staffora, where the Oltrepò Pavese turns into mountains, Santa Margherita di Staffora groups a main village and several hamlets spread over the slopes, with the town hall at around 550 metres. The Staffora stream flows down to Varzi, the valley's main town, with shops and services; for secondary schools and much else people go further down, towards Voghera.
The population is very elderly: estimated average age 60.0 against 47.1 in the province of Pavia, over-65s at 51.4% against 25.2%. Households are small, 1.56 people on average. In 2023 there were 436 residents, against 513 in 2011 (a fall of 15.0%), and foreign residents make up 4.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Many homes are stone mountain houses, some used mainly in summer. This is climate zone F, the coldest band: the roof, insulation, heating and winter access are the first things to look at. On the slopes landslide hazard changes from one plot to the next, and along the Staffora there is flood hazard too; the report reads both for the exact address on the official maps.
On earthquakes the municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the scale kept by the Civil Protection Department, like 156 other municipalities in the province of Pavia, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.099 g. With a stone house, ask whether the walls were strengthened during the latest work.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces the address back to its land parcel.
Key points
- Upper Valle Staffora, in the mountain part of the Oltrepò Pavese.
- Over-65s at 51.4%, against 25.2% in the province.
- Climate zone F: roof, insulation and winter access matter.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.099 g.
Overview
Santa Margherita di Staffora is a municipality in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 436 residents, ranked 155 of 184 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Margherita di Staffora is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (157 of 184) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.099 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 15.0%. The estimated average age is 60 years, higher than the province average (47). 51% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Margherita di Staffora declared an average taxable income of 20,652 euros, below the provincial average (26,290 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santa Margherita di Staffora is in climate zone F, with 3,138 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 550 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Margherita di Staffora has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.
The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Santa Margherita di Staffora.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 4.1% of the land in Santa Margherita di Staffora, compared with 9.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Santa Margherita di Staffora is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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 Santa Margherita di Staffora.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Santa Margherita di Staffora: 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 Santa Margherita di Staffora 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 21 inhabited census areas in Santa Margherita di Staffora. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 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.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- 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 Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 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 018142. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.