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Barolo: 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 Barolo

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 Roma 1, Barolo.

Barolo, the castle and the vineyards of its wine

The village shares its name with a red wine famous around the world, and the landscape around it shows why: Langhe hills covered in vineyards, wineries and farmhouses dotted along the ridges. At its centre stands the Falletti castle, home to a wine museum. The vineyards of the area are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the wine landscapes of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato.

Buying in Barolo means entering a market where houses and land are bound up with wine-making and tourism. There are 53.40 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 5.51 in the province of Cuneo. Before planning work on a farmhouse or a historic building, check with the council the landscape restrictions and the town plan rules, which here affect extensions, roofs and materials.

There are 618 residents in 2023, 12.3% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics institute. The average age is 48.5 against 46.3 in the province, over-65s make up 26.2% and foreign residents 10.4%. Average declared income is higher than the provincial level.

Earthquakes are not the main concern. Barolo is in seismic zone 4 of the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, like 106 of the 247 municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.053 g. More relevant on the hills is slope stability: the report measures the gradient at the address and checks the official landslide maps.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report traces the address to its land parcel, which also helps to separate the house from the land around it.

Key points

  • Home of Barolo wine in the Langhe, with the Falletti castle.
  • Bars and restaurants: 53.40 per 1,000 residents.
  • 618 residents, down 12.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.053 g.

Overview

Barolo is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 618 residents, ranked 140 of 247 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Barolo is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 106 of 247 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.053 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 12.3%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Barolo declared an average taxable income of 28,465 euros, above the provincial average (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Barolo is in climate zone E, with 2,688 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 301 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Barolo has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 10.5% of the land in Barolo, 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

Barolo 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 Barolo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Barolo: 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 Barolo 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 14 inhabited census areas in Barolo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 38.9%
  • good 61.1%

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 004013. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.