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Tortolì: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Ogliastra, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Tortolì

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: Viale Monsignore Virgilio 1, Tortolì.

Tortolì and Arbatax, Ogliastra's seaside capital

Tortolì is the coastal half of Ogliastra's twin capital, the other half being Lanusei up in the hills. The town sits on a plain facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, on Sardinia's east coast, and includes Arbatax, with its harbour and the famous red porphyry rocks that drop into the sea. Beach tourism, the port and services for the wider Ogliastra area underpin the local economy.

People looking for a home in Tortolì are often looking close to the sea, and here the report adds information that a viewing will not reveal. It measures how far the property is from the shoreline and shows whether that stretch of coast is eroding, stable or advancing, based on ISPRA's national coastline data. It also checks the official flood hazard maps, which matter on a coastal plain with a lagoon and streams running to the sea, and the landslide hazard maps for higher ground.

In an area with this much sunshine, another sensible question concerns solar panels: the report estimates how much electricity a system would generate at the address, allowing for the mountains on the horizon.

Earthquakes are not a significant factor. Not one of the 23 municipalities in the province falls outside seismic zone 4, the lowest class in Italy, and Tortolì is no exception. Exposure to salt air, general upkeep and the quality of the building's systems weigh more heavily in the decision.

As for the land registry, the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, and the report identifies the land parcel from the address, including homes in Arbatax and the surrounding localities.

Key points

  • Coastal joint capital of Ogliastra, with Lanusei.
  • Arbatax harbour; coastline worth checking for distance and erosion.
  • Seismic zone 4, like all 23 municipalities in the province.
  • Revenue Agency cadastral maps available.

Overview

Tortolì is the capital of the province of Ogliastra, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 11,000 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 20% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Tortolì is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 23 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 2.4%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Tortolì declared an average taxable income of 21,912 euros, above the provincial average (19,512 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Tortolì is in climate zone B, with 744 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 13 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Tortolì has 18 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 13 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities 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 13.9% of the land in Tortolì, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Tortolì is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Tortolì: 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 Tortolì 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 59 inhabited census areas in Tortolì. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.6%
  • fair 49.7%
  • good 49.6%

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 116017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.