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Alessandria: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Alessandria

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 Genova di Spinetta Marengo 2, Alessandria.

Alessandria, a city founded by a league

Alessandria was founded in 1168 by the towns of the Lombard League and named in honour of Pope Alexander III. It stands on the Tanaro plain close to where the Bormida joins it, and its position between Torino (Turin), Milano (Milan) and Genova (Genoa) has always made it a crossroads and a garrison town, as the vast eighteenth-century Citadel across the river still shows. Internationally, the name is also tied to Borsalino hats.

At the end of 2023 Alessandria had 91,854 residents, 2.7% more than in 2011 and 22.6% of the population of a highly fragmented province of 187 municipalities. The city is younger than its hinterland: an estimated average age of 47.2 against 48.9, with 26.1% of residents over 65 compared with 28.6% across the province. Foreign nationals make up 16.3% of residents, and households average about 2.1 people.

For seismic purposes Alessandria is in zone 3, the second-lowest class, like 127 of the 187 municipalities in its province; the other 60 are in zone 4. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.060 g, just above the threshold of the lowest class. The hazard is limited, but it is still reasonable to ask about the structure of an old building.

The services data point to good provision for sport, with 106 facilities (1.15 per 1,000 residents against 1.0 for the province), as well as 91 healthcare facilities. The official register lists 29 pharmacies, fewer per head than the provincial average. Cadastral maps are available, so the report can work out the plot from the address. Alessandria sits between two rivers: flood and landslide hazard depend on the precise location and must be checked for each address, just like local price ranges.

Key points

  • Founded in 1168 and named after Pope Alexander III.
  • 91,854 residents, up 2.7% since 2011.
  • Younger than its province: 26.1% over 65 against 28.6%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.060 g.

Overview

Alessandria is the capital of the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 91,854 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 23% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alessandria is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (127 of 187) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.060 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 grown by 2.7%. The estimated average age is 47 years, lower than the province average (49). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 16.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alessandria declared an average taxable income of 25,696 euros, in line with the province (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Alessandria is in climate zone E, with 2,559 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 95 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Alessandria has 72 schools and 29 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 45 grocery shops and supermarkets, 91 healthcare facilities, 106 sports facilities and 9 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).

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 16.1% of the land in Alessandria, compared with 7.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 7.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Alessandria is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 9 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Alessandria, and 18 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 Alessandria: 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 Alessandria 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 1,076 inhabited census areas in Alessandria. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.4%
  • fair 25.3%
  • good 37.1%
  • very good 35.2%

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 006003. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.