Santo Stefano 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 Santo Stefano 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 Ponente 1, Santo Stefano al Mare.
Santo Stefano al Mare, a seaside village on the Riviera dei Fiori
Santo Stefano al Mare is a small municipality on the western Ligurian Riviera, between Sanremo and Imperia. Its old centre looks straight onto the sea, and the hills behind are covered in greenhouses and olive groves. The coastal cycle path built on the old railway line runs through it and is popular with locals and visitors alike.
The municipality is small and densely built, with a high share of developed land for a place this size. The market mixes homes for residents with flats used for holidays, and prices vary a lot between the seafront, the old village and the streets climbing into the hills. Up the slopes, gradients, dry-stone walls and access matter; near the sea and the streams coming down from the hills, so do the official flood and landslide maps, which the report reads for the address.
According to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, there were 2,006 residents at the end of 2023, down 10.4% on 2011. The average age is 50.5, against 48.7 for the province, and 30.7% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents make up 8.5%. The climate zone is C, with mild winters.
Santo Stefano al Mare is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.149 g. For a flat in an old building in the village, ask what work has been done on the roof, floors and load-bearing walls, and whether any structural survey exists.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report goes from the address to the building's land parcel.
Key points
- Seaside village between Sanremo and Imperia, on the coastal cycle path.
- Seafront, old village and hills: very different prices.
- Population down 10.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.149 g.
Overview
Santo Stefano al Mare is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,006 residents, ranked 15 of 66 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santo Stefano 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 0.149 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Santo Stefano 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 10.4%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santo Stefano al Mare declared an average taxable income of 22,882 euros, above the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santo Stefano al Mare is in climate zone C, with 1,062 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 7 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santo Stefano al Mare has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets and 5 sports facilities.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 30.0% of the land in Santo Stefano 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
Santo Stefano 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Santo Stefano al Mare, and one more has 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 Santo Stefano 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 Santo Stefano 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 19 inhabited census areas in Santo Stefano al Mare. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 91.2%
- good 8.6%
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 008056. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.