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Bema: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Bema

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, Bema.

Bema, on the Orobie slopes above Morbegno

On the side of the Orobie Alps facing the lower Valtellina, above Morbegno, Bema is a mountain village at around eight hundred metres. The houses are grouped on an open slope with meadows and woods all around; jobs, schools and services are down in the Adda valley, reached by the road that climbs from the valley floor.

The population is small and elderly. In 2023 there were 114 residents, down 12.3% on the 130 of 2011, according to Istat, Italy's statistics office. Over-65s reach 41.2%, against 25.3% in the province of Sondrio, and the estimated average age is 56.6. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Buyers here are often looking for a summer house or a mountain hut to do up. In purchases like these the price matters less than the costs that follow: a new roof, insulation for climate zone F winters, utility connections, and whether you can drive right up to the door. It is worth coming up in winter too before deciding.

On the Civil Protection Department's earthquake scale the province of Sondrio is split between 64 municipalities in zone 3 and 13 in zone 4. Bema is in zone 3, but with a low expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In the mountains, slopes and streams weigh more.

The report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address, and on a slope like this they change from one house to the next. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality and link the building to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Mountain village on the Orobie slopes, above Morbegno.
  • Over-65s at 41.2% against 25.3% in the province.
  • 114 residents in 2023, down 12.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, low expected acceleration: about 0.050 g.

Overview

Bema is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 114 residents, among the smallest in the province (75 of 77).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bema is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 77) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 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 12.3%. The estimated average age is 57 years, higher than the province average (47). 41% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bema declared an average taxable income of 22,900 euros, in line with the province (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bema is in climate zone F, with 3,206 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 800 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Bema.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 1.3% of the land in Bema, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bema is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Bema.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Bema: 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 Bema 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 2 inhabited census areas in Bema. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 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 014006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.