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Alta Val Tidone: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Alta Val Tidone

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 Enrico Fermi 1, Alta Val Tidone.

Alta Val Tidone, hills and hamlets of the Piacenza Apennines

Alta Val Tidone was formed in 2018 by merging Caminata, Nibbiano and Pecorara, in the upper Tidone valley, in the Piacenza Apennines on the border with the Oltrepò Pavese area of Lombardy. The territory is large and sparsely populated: hills covered with vineyards lower down, woods and ridges higher up, and many small hamlets with stone houses. Piacenza and Castel San Giovanni are the reference towns, reached by following the valley down.

The population is very old, as in much of the Apennines. Anyone looking for a country house or a second home in the hills finds space, vines and quiet, but must allow for distances, narrow roads and services concentrated in larger towns. The area is part of the Colli Piacentini wine district.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,934 residents in 2023, down 12.4% since 2011. The average age is 53.5, well above the provincial 46.7, and over-65s make up 36.8%. Foreign nationals account for 10.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.098 g. For a stone house, check walls, floors and roof, especially if it has been empty. The Piacenza Apennines have clay and marl slopes: gradient and the official landslide maps for the address are in the report, together with flood maps along the Tidone and its tributaries.

Key points

  • Formed from Caminata, Nibbiano and Pecorara.
  • Upper Tidone valley, bordering the Oltrepò Pavese.
  • Average age 53.5, over-65s at 36.8%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.098 g.

Overview

Alta Val Tidone is a municipality in the province of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 2,934 residents, ranked 24 of 46 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alta Val Tidone is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 46 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.098 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 12.4%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (47). 37% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 10.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alta Val Tidone declared an average taxable income of 24,997 euros, below the provincial average (26,934 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Alta Val Tidone is in climate zone F, with 3,070 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 479 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Alta Val Tidone has 4 schools. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 5.3% of the land in Alta Val Tidone, compared with 7.7% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Alta Val Tidone is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Emilia-Romagna 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 open contaminated sites in Alta Val Tidone; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Alta Val Tidone: 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 Alta Val Tidone 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 87 inhabited census areas in Alta Val Tidone. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 99.9%

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 033049. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.