Santo Stefano d'Aveto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Genova, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Santo Stefano d'Aveto
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' Amborzasco 2, Santo Stefano d'Aveto.
Santo Stefano d'Aveto, Genoa's mountains above 1,000 metres
Above 1,000 metres, in the upper Aveto valley, Santo Stefano is a mountain village in the hinterland of Genoa, with a castle in the middle of the settlement and the meadows and beech woods of the Aveto regional nature park all around. There is skiing in winter and walking in summer, and tourism carries much of the local economy. Some of the houses belong to people who come up from Genoa, the Riviera or the Po plain for their holidays.
That has two consequences for buyers. First, alongside residents' homes there is a market in second homes and flats in small blocks, used for a few weeks a year. Second, the climate: this is climate zone F, the coldest, with frequent snow and long winters. Heating, insulation and how well the roof copes with the weight of snow should be checked before buying, as should service charges where a building has them.
There were 983 permanent residents in 2023, 234 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 19.2% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 53.5, against 49.0 across the metropolitan area of Genoa; over-65s make up 35.1% and households are small, at 1.64 people on average. The village has 17 bars and restaurants, a number that reflects visitors more than residents.
Santo Stefano d'Aveto is in seismic zone 3, as classified by the Civil Protection Department, like 64 of the 67 municipalities in the Genoa area, with expected ground acceleration of 0.136 g.
The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps. From the address, the report finds the land parcel and checks the official landslide and flood maps, which are useful in an area of slopes and mountain streams.
Key points
- Mountain village in the upper Aveto valley, above 1,000 metres.
- Winter and summer tourism, with a second-home market.
- 983 residents in 2023, down 19.2% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.136 g.
Overview
Santo Stefano d'Aveto is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 983 residents, ranked 48 of 67 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santo Stefano d'Aveto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.136 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 19.2%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 2.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santo Stefano d'Aveto declared an average taxable income of 19,784 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santo Stefano d'Aveto is in climate zone F, with 3,885 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,012 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santo Stefano d'Aveto has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 parks and green areas.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 3.0% of the land in Santo Stefano d'Aveto, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Santo Stefano d'Aveto 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 contaminated sites in Santo Stefano d'Aveto.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Santo Stefano d'Aveto: 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 d'Aveto 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 42 inhabited census areas in Santo Stefano d'Aveto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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.
- 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 010056. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.