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Volterra: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Volterra

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 Giuseppe Arrighi 2, Volterra.

Volterra, an Etruscan hilltop town and its Balze

Volterra is a historic hill town perched more than five hundred metres up between the Era and Cecina valleys, with Etruscan and medieval walls, the Palazzo dei Priori on its main square and the remains of a Roman theatre. It is also the town of alabaster, still carved in several workshops. Above the centre rises the Medici Fortress, which is still in use as a prison.

West of the town are the Balze, cliffs of sand and clay that have been collapsing for centuries and have swallowed churches and parts of the ancient city. They are the most visible sign of an issue that affects the whole hill: landslide risk varies a great deal from one spot to another and should be checked at the address before you even look at the house.

Buyers usually choose between the old town, with flats in historic buildings subject to heritage restrictions, and the open countryside around it, with isolated farmhouses and estates. Commuting is hard work: the roads to Pisa, Siena and the coast are long and hilly all the way, and winters up here are cold.

The population is shrinking and ageing. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 9,470 residents in 2023, down 11.4% on 2011, with an average age of 51.0 against 46.9 for the province and over-65s at 31.7%. For its size, though, Volterra has plenty of services because it serves a wide area: Overture Maps, an open map dataset, lists 12 healthcare facilities and 14 schools and colleges.

All 37 municipalities in the province of Pisa are in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's map; in Volterra expected ground acceleration is about 0.140 g. In the old buildings of the centre, walls, timber floors and roofs are what matter. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published and the report finds the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Etruscan and medieval town over five hundred metres up.
  • The Balze and steep slopes: check landslide risk per address.
  • Population down 11.4% since 2011, over-65s at 31.7%.
  • Seismic zone 3, like the whole province of Pisa.

Overview

Volterra is a municipality in the province of Pisa, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 9,470 residents, ranked 14 of 37 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Volterra is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 37 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.140 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 11.4%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 7.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Volterra declared an average taxable income of 23,585 euros, below the provincial average (25,727 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Volterra is in climate zone E, with 2,217 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 531 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Volterra has 14 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.3).

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 2.8% of the land in Volterra, compared with 7.0% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Volterra is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. 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 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Volterra, and 4 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 Volterra: 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 Volterra 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 91 inhabited census areas in Volterra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 42.9%
  • good 30.8%
  • very good 26.2%

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

ISTAT code 050039. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.