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Cartosio: 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 Cartosio

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, Cartosio.

Cartosio, in the Erro valley towards the Apennines

The Val d'Erro runs down from the Apennines towards Acqui Terme, and Cartosio is one of the villages along it, with the town hall at about 230 metres. Around it are wooded hills, meadows and scattered houses; Acqui Terme is the reference town for schools, hospital, shops and work, reached by car.

The population is old and shrinking. At the end of 2023 there were 710 residents, down 12.5% on the 811 of 2011; the average age is 51.5 against 48.9 in the province, and over-65s make up 34.5% against 28.6%. Foreign residents are 11.1% and households are small, averaging 1.90 people. Average declared income is below the provincial average.

Buyers here often look for a house with land, in the countryside or on the edge of the village, or a village house to restore. On the hills, watch for cracks in walls, uneven floors and the state of retaining walls; near the stream, check the flood maps. The report does both checks for the exact address, along with elevation and slope. Winters are climate zone E.

Cartosio is in seismic zone 3 with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.053 g, a low value; 126 other municipalities in the province share the same zone. In older houses the roof, damp and the systems matter most.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps: the report traces an address to its land parcel and building.

Key points

  • Val d'Erro village at about 230 metres.
  • Over-65s at 34.5%, against 28.6% in the province.
  • 710 residents, down 12.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.053 g.

Overview

Cartosio is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 710 residents, ranked 89 of 187 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cartosio 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 0.053 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 12.5%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 11.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cartosio declared an average taxable income of 21,929 euros, below the provincial average (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cartosio is in climate zone E, with 2,504 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 230 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cartosio has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 sports facilities.

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 5.1% of the land in Cartosio, 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

Cartosio 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 open contaminated sites in Cartosio; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cartosio: 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 Cartosio 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 28 inhabited census areas in Cartosio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 18.8%
  • fair 81.3%

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 006036. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.