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Vessalico: 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 Vessalico

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 Paolo Manfredi 1, Vessalico.

Vessalico, the garlic village of the Arroscia valley

Vessalico's name is linked to garlic: the variety grown here is a traditional product of western Liguria, celebrated every summer with a fair. The village lies in the Arroscia valley, on the valley floor below two hundred metres and a short way from Pieve di Teco, on the road that climbs from Albenga towards Piedmont. Around it are terraced slopes, olive trees and woods.

Buyers here get the convenience of the valley floor and the main road. Pieve di Teco is close for everyday services, while the hospital, secondary schools and larger shops are down towards Albenga and the coast. Homes are largely old stone buildings in the centre and houses along the road. In the old centre, damp, roofs and access are what to check; the climate zone is E.

Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 255 residents in 2023, down 11.1% from 287 in 2011. The population is younger than the provincial average, with an average age of 46.3 against 48.7 in the province of Imperia and over-65s at 20.8% against 28.5%. Foreign residents account for 24.7%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 36 of the 66 municipalities in the province, and expected acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.147 g. For a stone building, ask about any structural work. With the Arroscia torrent on the valley floor and slopes behind, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address, together with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Valley-floor village in the Arroscia valley, near Pieve di Teco.
  • 255 residents in 2023, down 11.1% since 2011.
  • Average age 46.3, younger than the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.147 g.

Overview

Vessalico is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 255 residents, ranked 57 of 66 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vessalico 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 0.147 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 11.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (49). 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 24.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vessalico declared an average taxable income of 16,757 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vessalico is in climate zone E, with 2,220 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 192 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 3.0% of the land in Vessalico, 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

Vessalico 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 Vessalico.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vessalico: 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 Vessalico 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 6 inhabited census areas in Vessalico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.0%
  • fair 96.0%

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 008066. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.