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Alto: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Alto

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 Albenga 1, Alto.

Alto, a Piedmont village in the Val Pennavaira

Alto belongs to the province of Cuneo, but its valley faces Liguria: it lies in the Val Pennavaira, which runs down towards the plain of Albenga. The village sits at around six hundred and fifty metres among woods and steep slopes, and the climate is zone F, with cold winters.

For buyers, roads and distances are what count. The sea is a drive down the valley, and people looking for a quiet house in the hills within reach of the Riviera also consider villages like this one. Homes are mostly stone, often on several levels following the slope: roofs, walls set against the hillside and damp are the first things to check.

The population has grown: Istat, the national statistics office, counted 151 residents in 2023, 24.8% more than the 121 of 2011. The average age is 46.8, close to the provincial average, and over-65s make up 19.2%, below the 25.1% of the province. Foreign residents account for 14.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Alto is in seismic zone 3 of the national classification, with 140 other municipalities in the province, while 106 are in zone 4. Expected ground acceleration is about 0.127 g, so for older masonry houses ask whether structural work has been done and whether the paperwork exists.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality. Slope and landslide hazard vary a lot across the valley, and the report checks them for the address.

Key points

  • Cuneo municipality in the Val Pennavaira, which runs down to Albenga.
  • 151 residents in 2023, up 24.8% since 2011.
  • Foreign residents at 14.6%, over-65s at 19.2%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.127 g.

Overview

Alto is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 151 residents, ranked 214 of 247 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3S. Most municipalities in the province (141 of 247) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.127 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 24.8%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 14.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alto declared an average taxable income of 17,771 euros, below the provincial average (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Alto is in climate zone F, with 3,016 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 650 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 1.6% of the land in Alto, compared with 5.3% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Alto is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. 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 Alto.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Alto: 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 Alto 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 3 inhabited census areas in Alto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 004005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.