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Formigliana: 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 Formigliana

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, Formigliana.

Formigliana, a lowland village north of Vercelli

Formigliana is a small municipality on the Vercelli plain, north of the provincial capital, in flat irrigated countryside crossed by ditches and canals, with the Biella Alps and Monte Rosa visible on the horizon on clear days. The village is gathered around its centre, with farmhouses and farm courtyards out in the fields.

It suits people who want to live in the country while staying close to town: Vercelli and Biella are the two reference cities for work, secondary schools and hospital care, both reachable by car. Homes on the market are mainly village houses and old farmhouses, often with large unconverted outbuildings. Before buying, find out what it would cost to make those parts habitable, which permits are needed and how they are recorded at the land registry. With climate zone E and the damp of the plain, insulation and heating weigh on the bills.

In 2023 there were 492 residents, down 10.5% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.3, practically the same as the provincial 48.4, and over-65s make up 27.6%. Foreign residents account for 10.2%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is low: Formigliana is in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection department's national scale, like 81 of the 82 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.037 g in the built-up area. In old brick houses the most common problem is rising damp.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report goes from the address to the land parcel. On a plain of ditches and streams coming down from the hills, flood hazard is read from the official maps for the individual house.

Key points

  • Vercelli plain north of the city, towards Biella.
  • Population down 10.5% since 2011, average age 48.3.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.037 g.
  • Farmhouses with outbuildings: check permits and land registry entries.

Overview

Formigliana is a municipality in the province of Vercelli, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 492 residents, ranked 48 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Formigliana 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 10.5%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Formigliana declared an average taxable income of 23,175 euros, below the provincial average (24,991 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Formigliana is in climate zone E, with 2,509 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 157 metres above sea level.

Services

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

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 5.1% of the land in Formigliana, 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

Formigliana 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 Formigliana. 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 Formigliana: 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 Formigliana 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 14 inhabited census areas in Formigliana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.4%
  • fair 98.6%

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 002059. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.