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Bistagno: 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 Bistagno

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 Teresa Rondanino 1, Bistagno.

Bistagno, on the Bormida near Acqui Terme

Bistagno is a village in the Bormida valley, in the Alto Monferrato, a few kilometres from Acqui Terme. The centre lies on the valley floor near the river, while the rest of the territory climbs into hills of vineyards, woods and farmsteads. The sculptor Giulio Monteverde was born here, and a plaster-cast gallery is dedicated to him.

Acqui is the reference for schools, the hospital and shopping. Buyers find houses in the old centre, apartment blocks from the 1960s and 1970s, detached homes and hillside farmsteads, often large and in need of work. Farmsteads deserve a careful look at roofs, retaining walls and access roads, which can be hard going in winter. Incomes are below the average for the province of Alessandria.

The population is falling: 1,708 residents in 2023, 11.5% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 50.1 against 48.9 in the province, over-65s are 29.7% and foreign residents 9.8%.

Bistagno is in seismic zone 3, like 127 municipalities in the province of Alessandria; the other 60 are in zone 4. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.051 g, which is low. In the valley, where a house sits in relation to the river matters more than earthquakes.

That is why the report, starting from the address, reads the official flood maps along the Bormida and the landslide maps for the hills, and finds the land parcel on the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate). Anyone looking at a house on the valley floor should check that data first.

Key points

  • Bormida valley, a few kilometres from Acqui Terme.
  • Residents down 11.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.051 g.
  • On the valley floor, check flooding along the Bormida.

Overview

Bistagno is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,708 residents, ranked 34 of 187 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bistagno 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 0.051 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 11.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 9.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bistagno declared an average taxable income of 23,097 euros, below the provincial average (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bistagno is in climate zone E, with 2,629 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 175 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 8.0% of the land in Bistagno, compared with 7.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bistagno 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Bistagno. 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 Bistagno: 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 Bistagno 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 29 inhabited census areas in Bistagno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.4%
  • fair 94.6%

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 006017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.