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Vernazza: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vernazza

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 Fieschi 1, Vernazza.

Vernazza and Corniglia, seafront homes in the Cinque Terre

Vernazza is one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre, the stretch of Ligurian coast between Levanto and La Spezia that is protected as a national park and listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The municipality also includes Corniglia, the only one of the five built high on the headland rather than at the water's edge. The coloured houses run down to the small harbour, and around them rise vineyard terraces held up by dry-stone walls.

Buying here is very different from the rest of the province. You cannot drive to your door in the centre, goods are moved on foot or in small vehicles, and the Genoa to La Spezia railway is the most convenient link. Tourism shapes everything: bars, restaurants and cafés number 65, and many homes are let to visitors. Before buying, check the park and landscape restrictions, the rules on short lets and the state of roofs and walls exposed to salt air. The report reads the official landslide and flood maps for the exact address, which deserve close attention on such steep slopes and near the stream.

At the end of 2023 there were 708 residents, 233 fewer than the 941 of 2011 (down 24.8%). The average age is 56.0 against 48.6 in the province, over-65s make up 42.1% and households average 1.57 people.

Vernazza is in seismic zone 3, like 24 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.111 g. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report traces an address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Cinque Terre village, with Corniglia in the municipality.
  • 65 bars and restaurants: tourism shapes the market.
  • Average age 56.0, against 48.6 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.111 g.

Overview

Vernazza is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 708 residents, ranked 25 of 32 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vernazza is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.111 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 24.8%. The estimated average age is 56 years, higher than the province average (49). 42% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 6.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vernazza declared an average taxable income of 24,462 euros, in line with the province (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vernazza is in climate zone D, with 1,413 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vernazza has 2 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 3 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

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 4.6% of the land in Vernazza, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Vernazza 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 Vernazza.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vernazza: 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 Vernazza 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 19 inhabited census areas in Vernazza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 50 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 24.5%
  • fair 75.5%

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 011030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.