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Fossano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fossano

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 Cuneo 1, Fossano.

Fossano, the town on the terrace above the Stura

Fossano stands on a high terrace above the valley of the Stura di Demonte, in the middle of the Cuneo plain. The historic centre, with the Acaja castle and arcaded streets, sits on the edge of the terrace, and newer districts spread out towards the countryside. With 24,190 residents it ranks number 4 by population in a very fragmented province of 247 municipalities.

The town is a railway junction, with trains to Turin, Cuneo and Savona, and the Turin to Savona motorway has an exit at Fossano. That is why people working in Cuneo, Savigliano, Bra or even Turin choose to live here. The local economy combines farming, livestock and food processing, and declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Residents have fallen by 2.1% since 2011, based on end of 2023 figures from Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age, 45.8, is in line with the province of Cuneo, and foreign nationals make up 10.0%. There are 29 healthcare sites, a lot for a town of this size, partly because it has a hospital.

Seismic hazard is moderate. Fossano is in zone 3, like 140 other municipalities in the province, while 106 are in zone 4; expected ground acceleration is about 0.072 g. Winters are cold (climate zone E) and many homes predate energy efficiency rules, so insulation, windows and the boiler affect running costs as much as the structure does.

The drop from the terrace to the valley floor also separates the hazards. Down by the Stura, flood hazard is what counts; along the escarpment, landslides; on the flat top where the centre stands, both tend to matter less. The report checks them for the address and finds the land parcel on the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Centre on a terrace, trains to Turin, Cuneo and Savona.
  • 24,190 residents, down 2.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.072 g.
  • River below, escarpment and terrace: different hazards by address.

Overview

Fossano is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 24,190 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 247).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fossano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (141 of 247) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.072 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 2.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fossano declared an average taxable income of 26,500 euros, above the provincial average (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fossano is in climate zone E, with 2,637 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 375 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fossano has 20 schools and 9 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 16 grocery shops and supermarkets, 29 healthcare facilities, 18 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 11.0% of the land in Fossano, compared with 5.3% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Fossano 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 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Fossano, and one more has been cleaned up or closed. 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 Fossano: 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 Fossano 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 285 inhabited census areas in Fossano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 80 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.7%
  • fair 19.6%
  • good 27.0%
  • very good 51.7%

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 004089. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.