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Garessio: 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 Garessio

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 Cavour 1, Garessio.

Garessio, the upper Tanaro valley below the Ligurian Alps

Garessio is the main village of the upper Val Tanaro, in the province of Cuneo, with the Ligurian Alps behind it and the San Bernardo pass leading over to the Riviera around Albenga. The town hall stands at around 620 metres and the climate is properly alpine, in climate zone F: long cold winters and cool summers. The valley is also known for its mineral water springs.

A good share of the homes here are second homes owned by people from Liguria and Piedmont who come up in summer or at weekends. Those buying to live here all year will find flats in blocks from the 1960s and 1970s, houses in the old village and properties scattered across the hamlets. The same checks apply to all of them: heating costs, a roof able to bear snow, and insulation. For work and wider services, people look to Ceva further down the valley or to the Ligurian coast.

Garessio is one of the oldest communities in the area. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,834 residents (2023), down 15.7% since 2011; the average age is 51.5, against 46.3 in the province, and over-65s reach 33.6%. Foreign residents are 7.1%, and households are small, with 1.91 people on average.

The province of Cuneo is split between seismic zones 3 and 4; Garessio is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.094 g. In older stone houses, have the walls and their connections checked before a major renovation.

In a mountain valley, position relative to the river and the slopes makes the difference: the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address, along with the price band and cadastral data.

Key points

  • Upper Tanaro valley, town hall at about 620 metres, zone F
  • Many second homes owned by Ligurians and Piedmontese
  • Over-65s at 33.6%, against 25.1% in the province
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.094 g

Overview

Garessio is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 2,834 residents, ranked 49 of 247 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Garessio 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 0.094 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 15.7%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (46). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Garessio declared an average taxable income of 23,768 euros, in line with the province (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Garessio is in climate zone F, with 3,085 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 621 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Garessio has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 2.2% of the land in Garessio, compared with 5.3% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Garessio 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 Garessio. 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 Garessio: 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 Garessio 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 73 inhabited census areas in Garessio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 20.9%
  • fair 79.1%

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 004095. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.