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Ventimiglia: 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 Ventimiglia

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: Corso Limone Piemonte 1, Ventimiglia.

Ventimiglia, the Roya river mouth and the French border

The last Italian town before France, Ventimiglia sits at the mouth of the Roja (Roya in French), with its medieval upper town on a hill west of the river and the modern town on the flat ground down to the sea. The Friday market draws shoppers from across the border. Towards the frontier are the Hanbury botanical gardens at La Mortola and the Balzi Rossi, caves that were lived in during prehistoric times.

The border shapes the housing market too. Many residents work in Menton, Monaco or elsewhere on the Côte d'Azur, and the international station on the coastal line, together with the motorway to Nice, makes daily commuting feasible. Homes differ a great deal between the upper town, the areas near the river mouth and the hill villages inland, in age, access and parking.

At the end of 2023 there were 22,934 residents, down 4.1% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. Ventimiglia is number 3 in the province of Imperia and holds 11.0% of its population. The average age of 47.6 is slightly below the provincial figure, and over-65s make up 27.0%. Foreign residents account for 13.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Roja and the streams coming down from the hills are the first thing to check for homes on the flat, while on the slopes landslides and gradients matter. The report looks up the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

For earthquakes the town is in seismic zone 3, like 35 other municipalities in the province, while 30 are in zone 2; expected ground acceleration is about 0.126 g. In the upper town, where old stone buildings lean against one another, ask what structural work has been done. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • At the mouth of the Roja, the last town before France.
  • Cross-border commuters to Menton and Monaco, international station.
  • 22,934 residents, down 4.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.126 g.

Overview

Ventimiglia is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 22,934 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ventimiglia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.126 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.1%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 13.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ventimiglia declared an average taxable income of 18,758 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ventimiglia is in climate zone C, with 1,119 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 9 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ventimiglia has 21 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 27 sports facilities and 10 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 11.2% of the land in Ventimiglia, 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

Ventimiglia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 Ventimiglia, and 3 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 Ventimiglia: 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 Ventimiglia 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 97 inhabited census areas in Ventimiglia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 10.4%
  • fair 34.7%
  • good 54.9%

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 008065. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.