Santo Stefano di Magra: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of La Spezia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Santo Stefano di Magra
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 Cisa Sud 1, Santo Stefano di Magra.
Santo Stefano di Magra, a hub of motorways, port traffic and valley
On a road map Santo Stefano di Magra is a junction: this is where the Cisa motorway coming down from Parma joins the Tyrrhenian coast motorway, and where the Pontremolese railway has a station. The municipality lies in the lower Val di Magra on the border with Tuscany, just north of Sarzana and around twenty minutes from La Spezia.
That position has brought warehouses, depots and logistics yards linked to the port of La Spezia, and new housing along with them. The municipality has grown strongly: at the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,116 residents, up 15.1% since 2011, or 1,326 more people. The population is younger than the provincial average, with a mean age of 45.8 against 48.6 and 22.9% over 65 against 27.8%. Foreign residents make up 9.1%.
For buyers the choice is fairly clear. On the plain are the newer apartment blocks and detached houses, handy for people working in logistics or driving to work, though close to busy roads and industrial areas. On the hills are the old village and quieter hamlets, reached by climbing roads. Noise and heavy traffic are best judged by visiting during working hours.
The Magra is a river that makes itself felt in flood, and the plain has flooded before. The report reads the official flood hazard maps for the address, and for houses on slopes it checks gradient and landslides. Also ask whether the ground floor or garage has taken in water in the past.
The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale from 1 (highest) to 4, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.141 g; 7 municipalities in the province are in zone 2. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report finds the plot from the address.
Key points
- Junction of the Cisa and coast motorways and the Pontremolese railway.
- Population up 15.1% since 2011.
- Magra plain: check flood hazard for the address.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.141 g.
Overview
Santo Stefano di Magra is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 10,116 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 32).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santo Stefano di Magra is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.141 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 grown by 15.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (49). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 9.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santo Stefano di Magra declared an average taxable income of 25,104 euros, in line with the province (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santo Stefano di Magra is in climate zone D, with 1,449 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 50 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santo Stefano di Magra has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 5 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
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 23.3% of the land in Santo Stefano di Magra, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Santo Stefano di Magra 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Santo Stefano di Magra, 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 di Magra: 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 di Magra 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 Santo Stefano di Magra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 35.7%
- good 64.3%
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 011026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.