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Varazze: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Varazze

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 Pero 1, Varazze.

Varazze, beaches and marina below the Beigua hills

On the Riviera di Ponente, Varazze is the first town in the province of Savona as you head west from Genoa, and many of its buyers come from the Ligurian capital. The town stretches along the sea between the beaches and the marina, while behind it the land climbs steeply into the mountains of the Beigua Regional Park. The Teiro stream runs through the town and reaches the sea right in the centre.

Tourism shapes the housing market. Many flats near the seafront are second homes owned by families from Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy and stay shut in winter; people who live here all year often look higher up or in the inland hamlets. A station on the Genoa to Ventimiglia line and a junction on the A10 motorway make commuting to Genoa or Savona realistic.

The population is old and shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 12,523 residents in 2023, 7.0% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 50.4 and over-65s make up 31.6%, more than in the province (30.0%), which is itself among the oldest in Italy. Declared incomes are above the provincial average, and 171 cafés and restaurants are recorded, a lot for a town of this size.

Earthquakes are a minor concern. Varazze is in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, along with 18 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.053 g. The useful questions are about damp and salt damage on façades, the state of the roofs and the service charges in seafront blocks.

The real hazard is water coming down from the hills. The Teiro and the smaller streams crossing the town can burst their banks in the heavy autumn rain typical of Liguria, and landslides are not unusual on the steep slopes. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps at the exact address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Station on the Genoa to Ventimiglia line and an A10 motorway junction.
  • Over-65s at 31.6%, residents down 7.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest in the classification.
  • Teiro stream and steep slopes: check flood and landslide hazard.

Overview

Varazze is a municipality in the province of Savona, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 12,523 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 69).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Varazze is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 19 of 69 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.053 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 7.0%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 5.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Varazze declared an average taxable income of 27,057 euros, above the provincial average (24,469 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Varazze is in climate zone D, with 1,499 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 5 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Varazze has 7 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 13 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.0).

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 8.5% of the land in Varazze, compared with 6.7% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Varazze is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Varazze, 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 Varazze: 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 Varazze 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 93 inhabited census areas in Varazze. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.4%
  • fair 44.0%
  • good 55.6%

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 009065. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.