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Vasia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vasia

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 Giovanni Battista Ansaldo 1, Vasia.

Vasia, olive terraces and stone houses above Imperia

Vasia is a village in the hills behind Imperia, on the western Ligurian coast, built along a ridge among the terraced olive groves that cover the slopes behind the town. The sea is a short drive away, yet the landscape is already that of inland Liguria: dry stone walls, narrow winding roads and stone houses packed closely together.

Most of what comes on the market is old buildings in the historic core, plus a few houses standing alone among the olive terraces. Slopes are everywhere, and so are retaining walls: before buying, find out who is responsible for them and what state they are in. Access matters too, since not every house can be reached by car to the door. Climate zone E means mild winters compared with inland Italy, but stone houses stay cool and damp unless they have been insulated.

Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 345 residents in 2023. In 2011 there were 424, so the population has fallen by 18.6%. It is an older community, with an estimated average age of 53.4 against 48.7 in the province of Imperia, and 35.1% of people over 65. Households are small, 1.74 people on average, and foreign residents make up 12.8%.

Vasia is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, like 30 of the 66 municipalities in the province, and the expected acceleration in the village is about 0.158 g. In stone houses on several floors, check for tie rods, ring beams or other work that holds walls and floors together.

On terraced slopes, landslides and runoff depend a great deal on the individual plot. The report checks the official maps for the address, along with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Hills behind Imperia, on a ridge among olive terraces.
  • Average age 53.4, households of 1.74 people.
  • 345 residents in 2023, fewer than in 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.158 g.

Overview

Vasia is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 345 residents, ranked 50 of 66 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vasia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 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 Vasia, 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 fallen by 18.6%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 12.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vasia declared an average taxable income of 19,856 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vasia is in climate zone E, with 2,114 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 385 metres above sea level.

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 3.9% of the land in Vasia, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Vasia 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 no contaminated sites in Vasia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vasia: 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 Vasia 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 8 inhabited census areas in Vasia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.2%
  • fair 97.8%

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 008064. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.