Sestri Levante: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Genova, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Sestri Levante
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 Nazionale 1, Sestri Levante.
Sestri Levante, between the Bay of Silence and the Bay of Fables
Sestri Levante's centre is squeezed onto an isthmus with sea on both sides: the small, sheltered Baia del Silenzio (Bay of Silence) on one, and the Baia delle Favole (Bay of Fables), with its long beach and promenade, on the other. The headland at the end of the isthmus, known locally as the Isola, is covered in trees and villas. Behind it the town climbs the stream valleys, and to the south-east, where the Petronio reaches the sea, lies Riva Trigoso with its shipyard.
Transport is a strong point: the station is on the Genoa-La Spezia line and the A12 motorway junction is close to the centre. The market, though, is shaped by tourism and second homes, as the 203 cafés and restaurants show: 11.76 per 1,000 residents against 5.54 in the province. In the old centre most homes are flats in historic buildings, often without a lift or parking; more space and newer houses are found in the modern part of town and on the hills.
The population is old and shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 17,269 residents in 2023, down 5.0% since 2011. Over-65s make up 31.5%, above the 29.1% of the Genoa metropolitan area, and the average age is 50.1. Households are very small, 1.96 people on average, with many older people living alone. Foreign nationals account for 8.7%.
Sestri is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.109 g. Water is the risk to look at most closely: Ligurian streams are short and steep and can rise within hours in heavy autumn rain. The report checks flood-prone areas and hillside landslides for the address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps. For a house on the seafront, also ask about past storm-surge damage.
Key points
- Centre on an isthmus between two bays, Riva Trigoso to the south-east.
- Genoa-La Spezia railway and A12 junction close to the centre.
- Over-65s at 31.5%, households of 1.96 people on average.
- Seismic zone 3; streams and storm surges worth checking.
Overview
Sestri Levante is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 17,269 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 67).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sestri Levante 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 0.109 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 5.0%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sestri Levante declared an average taxable income of 25,011 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Sestri Levante is in climate zone D, with 1,416 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 4 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sestri Levante has 15 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 13 healthcare facilities, 22 sports facilities and 8 parks and green areas.
There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).
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 12.5% of the land in Sestri Levante, 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
Sestri Levante 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Sestri Levante, and 5 more have 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 Sestri Levante: 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 Sestri Levante 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 134 inhabited census areas in Sestri Levante. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.4%
- fair 32.5%
- good 53.1%
- very good 14.1%
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 010059. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.