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Ulassai: 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 Ulassai

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 Dante Alighieri 7, Ulassai.

Ulassai, Maria Lai's village below the Ogliastra limestone

Ulassai is the birthplace of Maria Lai, the artist who left open-air works here and to whom the Stazione dell'Arte museum is dedicated. It lies in inland Ogliastra, in eastern Sardinia, at around 770 metres, at the foot of the "tacchi", the great limestone cliffs typical of this part of the island. The Su Marmuri cave, open to visitors, is also in the municipality.

For buyers, Ulassai is a mountain village with stone and masonry houses built into the slope, steep streets and little flat ground. For work and wider services people go to Lanusei and to Tortolì on the coast, on mountain roads that take time. The climate is zone D, with winters colder than you might expect in Sardinia, so insulation and heating need to be budgeted for.

In 2023 there were 1,361 residents, down 10.3% on 2011. Households are very small, 1.75 people on average, the average age is 48.7 and 29.5% are over 65. Declared incomes are in line with the Ogliastra average.

Earthquakes are not a concern here: all 23 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest band, and the expected ground acceleration is 0.050 g. Slope matters more. Below rock faces and on steep hillsides, the report reads elevation, gradient and the official landslide maps at the address.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are available, and the report works back from the address to the plot.

Key points

  • Maria Lai's village, at the foot of the limestone cliffs.
  • Houses on the slope: gradient and landslides read at the address.
  • All 23 municipalities in Ogliastra in seismic zone 4.
  • Population down 10.3% since 2011.

Overview

Ulassai is a municipality in the province of Ogliastra, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 1,361 residents, ranked 14 of 23 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ulassai 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 fallen by 10.3%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ulassai declared an average taxable income of 19,924 euros, in line with the province (19,512 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ulassai is in climate zone D, with 2,068 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 775 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ulassai has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

There are 2.2 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 0.6% of the land in Ulassai, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ulassai 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 medium. 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 Ulassai: 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 Ulassai 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 7 inhabited census areas in Ulassai. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 61.0%
  • good 1.5%
  • very good 37.5%

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 116019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.