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Fontanetto Po: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fontanetto Po

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: Corso Massimo Montano 1, Fontanetto Po.

Fontanetto Po, rice fields and floodplain on the left bank of the Po

Fontanetto Po lies on the plain of the province of Vercelli, on the left bank of the Po, with the Monferrato hills rising just across the river. This is rice country: paddies flooded in spring, courtyard farmsteads, canals and, towards the river, floodplain land with poplar plantations and riverside woods.

The village is small, with a centre of courtyard houses and low blocks of flats and a countryside of isolated farmsteads. For work, secondary schools and the hospital, people look to the larger towns of the area, Vercelli and Casale Monferrato, by car. The climate zone is E, with cold, foggy winters; in an old house on the plain, rising damp, the roof and insulation are the first things to check. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

In 2023 there were 1,037 residents, 13.8% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 50.6 against 48.4 for the province, over-65s make up 31.1% and foreign nationals 10.9%.

Earthquakes are a minor concern here: almost the entire province of Vercelli is in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and Fontanetto is one of these 81 municipalities, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.037 g.

The real issue is the river. Areas close to the Po and the canals can fall into different classes on the official flood hazard maps only a short distance apart, and the report checks them at the exact address. Using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps it also traces the land parcel, useful for a farmstead with fields and boundaries to work out.

Key points

  • Rice-growing village on the left bank of the Po, facing the Monferrato.
  • Seismic zone 4, like 81 municipalities in the province.
  • Population down 13.8% since 2011.
  • Flood hazard to check at the exact address.

Overview

Fontanetto Po is a municipality in the province of Vercelli, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,037 residents, ranked 30 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fontanetto Po is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.037 g, a low 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 13.8%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fontanetto Po declared an average taxable income of 22,451 euros, below the provincial average (24,991 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fontanetto Po is in climate zone E, with 2,810 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 143 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fontanetto Po has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.

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 3.4% of the land in Fontanetto Po, compared with 5.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Fontanetto Po 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 no contaminated sites in Fontanetto Po.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fontanetto Po: 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 Fontanetto Po 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 10 inhabited census areas in Fontanetto Po. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.7%
  • fair 95.3%

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 002058. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.