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Vaglia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vaglia

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 della Fittaccia 2, Vaglia.

Vaglia, from Pratolino and Monte Senario to the old Bologna road

Vaglia stretches north of Florence along the Via Bolognese, the old road climbing towards the Mugello and the Apennines. The main village lies in the valley on the Carza stream, while the better-known hamlets sit higher up: Pratolino, with the large park of the Medici villa now called Villa Demidoff, and Bivigliano, below the monastery of Monte Senario.

Many residents commute to Florence, about twenty minutes by car from the hamlets closest to the city. The Faentina railway, which links Florence with the Mugello and Faenza, runs through the area. The housing market splits between villas and old farmhouses in the hills, with gardens and woodland, and simpler flats down in the valley. On the hillside, access, aspect and heating all matter. Vaglia is in climate zone E, with cool, damp winters, and an isolated stone house costs more to keep warm.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,224 residents in 2023, up 3.1% on 2011. The average age is 48.3 and 27.1% are over 65, against 26.1% in the province of Florence. Foreign residents account for 8.2%. Average incomes are above the provincial figure.

In the province, 13 municipalities are in seismic zone 2, and Vaglia is one of them, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.158 g. The Mugello has a known history of earthquakes. With a stone farmhouse or villa, ask what strengthening work has been done, whether the floors have been rebuilt and with what, and whether a structural engineer's report exists.

On the wooded slopes the report also checks landslide hazard and the gradient at the exact spot, and flood-prone areas along the Carza. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps, so the report can find the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Pratolino with Villa Demidoff park, Bivigliano below Monte Senario.
  • Residents up 3.1% since 2011; incomes above the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.158 g.
  • Stone houses in the hills: ask about strengthening and structural reports.

Overview

Vaglia is a municipality in the province of Firenze, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 5,224 residents, ranked 34 of 41 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vaglia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 13 of 41 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.158 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Vaglia, 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 resident population has grown by 3.1%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 8.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vaglia declared an average taxable income of 28,489 euros, above the provincial average (27,023 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vaglia is in climate zone E, with 2,209 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 290 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vaglia has 3 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 4 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

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 4.1% of the land in Vaglia, compared with 7.4% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Vaglia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Vaglia, and 4 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 Vaglia: 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 Vaglia 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 36 inhabited census areas in Vaglia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 53 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 12.4%
  • fair 82.2%
  • good 5.5%

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 048046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.