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Sgonico: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sgonico

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: Frazione Gabrovizza - Gabrovec 1, Sgonico.

Sgonico, the Trieste Karst and the land register

Sgonico, Zgonik in Slovene, is a municipality on the Karst behind Trieste, the limestone plateau between the gulf and Slovenia, not far from the border. It is bilingual, with a strong Slovene community, and is made up of small villages scattered among woods, meadows and sinkholes. Osmize are common here: farms that open for a few days at a time to sell their own wine and produce.

Trieste is close for commuters, and many people choose the Karst for a house with a garden and some quiet a short drive from the city centre. Homes are traditional stone Karst houses, often around a courtyard, and newer detached houses. The limestone ground holds little surface water and on some plots the rock comes to the surface, so for extensions or excavation get advice from a surveyor.

In 2023 there were 1,976 residents, down 4.9% from the 2,077 counted by Istat, the national statistics institute, in 2011. The average age is 50.2, 32.0% of residents are over 65 and 4.4% are foreign nationals. Declared incomes are above the average for the province of Trieste.

Sgonico is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected acceleration of 0.138 g in the built-up area. In older stone houses check the walls and roof, as well as insulation against the winter bora wind.

One key difference for buyers: as in the rest of the province, the tavolare system applies, with a land register (libro fondiario) in place of the usual property registries. Ownership passes when it is entered in the land register, something to check with the notary. Cadastral maps are still available and the report reaches the land parcel.

Key points

  • Trieste Karst, bilingual Italian and Slovene municipality.
  • Tavolare system: ownership passes via the land register.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.138 g.
  • Incomes above the average for the province of Trieste.

Overview

Sgonico is a municipality in the province of Trieste, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,976 residents, among the smallest in the province (5 of 6).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sgonico is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 6 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.138 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 4.9%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sgonico declared an average taxable income of 28,746 euros, in line with the province (27,409 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sgonico is in climate zone E, with 2,866 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 278 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sgonico has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

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 6.5% of the land in Sgonico, compared with 20.8% in the province and 8.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sgonico is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2024. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is high. 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 Sgonico.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sgonico: 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

Sgonico uses the tavolare (land book) system, but the Revenue Agency still publishes the maps: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

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 27 inhabited census areas in Sgonico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 11.6%
  • good 78.6%
  • very good 9.8%

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 032005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.