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Castello dell'Acqua: 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 Castello dell'Acqua

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: Localita' Piazzola 1, Castello dell'Acqua.

Castello dell'Acqua, on the Orobic side of Valtellina

In Valtellina, which side of the valley you live on matters a great deal. Castello dell'Acqua is on the Orobic side, south of the river Adda and facing north: in winter the sun arrives later and leaves earlier than on the opposite side, the one with the terraced vineyards. The village is spread over several clusters and hamlets halfway up the slope, above the floor of central Valtellina.

For a buyer, this aspect means long, cool winters (climate zone F, the coldest band in Italy's heating classification), so heating and insulation deserve close attention, while summers are pleasant. Many houses are old stone homes, sometimes with a woodshed or barn alongside; the road up from the valley links the hamlets and leads down to services, which are along the main road and in the towns near Sondrio.

Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 606 residents in 2023, 5.8% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 49.8, against 46.8 in the province of Sondrio; over-65s make up 28.7% of residents and households average 2.08 people.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3, like 63 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is around 0.082 g. For a stone house it is worth asking how the roof was redone and whether the floors have been strengthened.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report traces the land parcel from the address. On a mountain slope, landslides, debris flows and streams vary from one hamlet to the next: the report checks them on the official maps for the exact location of the house.

Key points

  • Hillside village on the Orobic side of central Valtellina.
  • North-facing: long winters, climate zone F.
  • 606 residents in 2023, average age 49.8.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration around 0.082 g.

Overview

Castello dell'Acqua is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 606 residents, ranked 59 of 77 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castello dell'Acqua 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 0.082 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 5.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castello dell'Acqua declared an average taxable income of 21,229 euros, below the provincial average (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castello dell'Acqua is in climate zone F, with 3,012 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 664 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castello dell'Acqua has 1 pharmacy.

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 Castello dell'Acqua.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 3.5% of the land in Castello dell'Acqua, 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

Castello dell'Acqua is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 Castello dell'Acqua.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castello dell'Acqua: 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 Castello dell'Acqua 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 22 inhabited census areas in Castello dell'Acqua. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 41.1%
  • good 58.9%

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 014014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.