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Forcola: 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 Forcola

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 Selvetta 1, Forcola.

Forcola, a village in lower Valtellina

Forcola lies in lower Valtellina, between the floor of the Adda valley and the slopes rising towards the mountains, with its town hall below 300 metres. The municipality is made up of the village and a few hamlets and scattered settlements; Morbegno and Sondrio are the reference points for work and larger services, reached by car along the valley.

Buyers need to weigh the difference between houses on the valley floor, more convenient but close to the river and to busy roads, and those on the slopes, quieter but with steep access and narrow lanes. Winters in the mountains are cold and the heating stays on for a long time, so in old stone houses insulation, the roof and damp need assessing.

There were 764 residents in 2023, down 8.5% on the 835 of 2011. The average age is 46.7, practically the same as the 46.8 of the province of Sondrio, and over-65s make up 25.7%. Foreign residents account for 5.0%. Average declared income is below the provincial average.

Forcola is in seismic zone 3, like 64 of the 77 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.059 g. For a masonry house it is usually enough to ask for the construction date and any structural work done.

The point that needs most attention is a different one: in an Alpine valley, flooding, debris flows along streams and landslides on the slopes depend on the precise location. The report reads the official maps for each address and, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, links the house to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Lower Valtellina village, between the Adda and the slopes.
  • Population down 8.5% since 2011.
  • Valley floor or hillside: very different access and hazards.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.059 g.

Overview

Forcola is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 764 residents, ranked 53 of 77 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Forcola 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 0.059 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 8.5%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Forcola declared an average taxable income of 20,197 euros, below the provincial average (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Forcola is in climate zone F, with 3,067 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 289 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Forcola has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.9% of the land in Forcola, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Forcola is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia 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 Forcola.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Forcola: 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 Forcola 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 9 inhabited census areas in Forcola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 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 014029. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.