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Sarzana: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of La Spezia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sarzana

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 dei Molini 1, Sarzana.

Sarzana, twin fortresses and the Magra plain

Sarzana is the last town in Liguria before Tuscany, in the lower Val di Magra where the valley opens towards the sea. Its compact old centre lies between the Cittadella, also known as Fortezza Firmafede, and the Sarzanello fortress on the hill above. Antiques fairs and the Festival della Mente, a festival of ideas held at the end of summer, draw plenty of visitors.

It is a crossroads. The station is on the Tyrrhenian line between Genoa and Pisa and is where the Pontremolese line to Parma begins. The A12 motorway has a Sarzana junction, and just to the north the A15 over the Cisa pass joins it. La Spezia is close and many residents work there. The municipality reaches the sea at Marinella, at the mouth of the Magra, an area mostly of holiday homes and campsites. Buyers choose between flats in the old palazzi of the centre, the districts that spread across the plain towards the river, and the hill hamlets, quieter and with views over the valley.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 21,786 residents in 2023, down 0.2% on 2011, so broadly stable. Sarzana is home to 10.1% of the province's population. The estimated average age, 48.5, is close to the provincial figure; 26.7% of residents are over 65 and foreign nationals make up 7.8%. Declared incomes are just above the provincial average.

The Val di Magra and Lunigiana are among the more earthquake-prone parts of Liguria and northern Tuscany. In the province of La Spezia 7 municipalities are in zone 2; Sarzana is in zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.137 g. For an old palazzo or a farmhouse, ask what structural work has been carried out.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here and the report finds the land parcel from the address. The Magra is prone to sudden, heavy floods, so on the plain near the river and its channels flood hazard is checked for each address.

Key points

  • Old town between the Cittadella and Sarzanello fortress.
  • Station on the Genoa to Pisa line, A12 junction, A15 close by.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected ground acceleration about 0.137 g.
  • 21,786 residents, 10.1% of the province.

Overview

Sarzana is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 21,786 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sarzana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 7 of 32 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.137 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Sarzana, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sarzana declared an average taxable income of 25,977 euros, in line with the province (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sarzana is in climate zone D, with 1,566 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 21 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sarzana has 20 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 27 healthcare facilities, 37 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 21.0% of the land in Sarzana, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sarzana 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 open contaminated sites in Sarzana; 4 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sarzana: 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 Sarzana 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 103 inhabited census areas in Sarzana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.9%
  • fair 64.2%
  • good 31.9%

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

ISTAT code 011027. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.