Villafranca in Lunigiana: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Villafranca in Lunigiana
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: Viale Italia 1, Villafranca in Lunigiana.
Villafranca in Lunigiana, on the Magra between Pontremoli and Aulla
Villafranca in Lunigiana lies in the Magra valley, halfway between Pontremoli and Aulla, in the part of Tuscany that already looks towards Liguria and Emilia. The main town has grown along the river and the valley road, while the surrounding hills hold smaller villages such as Filetto, with its stone houses and chestnut wood.
The Pontremolese railway, linking Parma with La Spezia, has a station here, and the Cisa motorway runs up the same valley, so La Spezia and the coast are within easy reach. That is why Lunigiana also draws people, Italian and foreign, looking for a stone house with a bit of land. Foreign residents make up 11.5%, a high share for a municipality of this size.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 4,651 residents in 2023, down 1.7% since 2011, ranking 8 in the province by population. The average age is 48.8, similar to the province of Massa-Carrara (49.2), and over-65s make up 28.6%.
Lunigiana is earthquake country: in the province, 14 of the 17 municipalities are in seismic zone 2, and Villafranca is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.194 g. In the stone houses of the villages, check for strengthening work and the condition of floors and roof. Along the Magra and its tributaries the report checks the official flood maps for the address, and on the slopes the landslide maps.
Key points
- Magra valley between Pontremoli and Aulla, with a railway station.
- 4,651 residents, down 1.7% since 2011.
- Foreign residents at 11.5%, over-65s at 28.6%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.194 g.
Overview
Villafranca in Lunigiana is a municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 4,651 residents, ranked 8 of 17 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Villafranca in Lunigiana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (14 of 17) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.194 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Villafranca in Lunigiana, 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 1.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 11.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Villafranca in Lunigiana declared an average taxable income of 22,690 euros, in line with the province (23,864 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Villafranca in Lunigiana is in climate zone D, with 1,887 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 130 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Villafranca in Lunigiana has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 7.1% of the land in Villafranca in Lunigiana, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Villafranca in Lunigiana is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. 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 Villafranca in Lunigiana.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Villafranca in Lunigiana: 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 Villafranca in Lunigiana 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 49 inhabited census areas in Villafranca in Lunigiana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.8%
- fair 35.9%
- good 38.1%
- very good 25.2%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 045016. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.