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Gifflenga: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gifflenga

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: Cantone Bonda 1, Gifflenga.

Gifflenga, a small village on the plain south of Biella

The north of the province of Biella is all valleys and hills, but Gifflenga sits on the plain, below two hundred metres, in the southern part of the province. The landscape is one of fields, farmsteads and straight roads, with the village centre gathered round the church. Biella and Vercelli are the towns for work, secondary schools and hospitals.

House hunters here will mostly find detached houses and old farmsteads, sometimes with a courtyard and outbuildings, which need careful assessment: roofs, wiring and plumbing, and rising damp in the walls are the usual issues with buildings on the plain. Nearly all services are in nearby villages, so a car is needed for every daily trip.

In 2023 there were 101 residents, against 130 at the 2011 census, a fall of 22.3%. Even so, the population is younger than the Biella average: the estimated average age is 46.9 and over-65s make up 23.8%, against 30.1% for the province. Declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is low. Gifflenga is in zone 4, on the scale set by the Civil Protection Department, along with 49 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.038 g. In an older building, upkeep and energy rating count for more.

On the plain, attention turns to watercourses: the report checks the official flood maps, as well as the landslide maps, at the exact address, and links the house to its land parcel using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Village on the plain in the south of the province of Biella.
  • Over-65s at 23.8%, against 30.1% in the province.
  • 101 residents in 2023, down 22.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.038 g.

Overview

Gifflenga is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 101 residents, among the smallest in the province (73 of 74).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gifflenga is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (50 of 74) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.038 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 22.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, lower than the province average (50). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gifflenga declared an average taxable income of 28,002 euros, above the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gifflenga is in climate zone E, with 2,548 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 187 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 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 8.5% of the land in Gifflenga, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gifflenga is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 Gifflenga.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gifflenga: 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 Gifflenga 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 6 inhabited census areas in Gifflenga. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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 096027. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.