La Magdeleine: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste, Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in La Magdeleine
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: Localita' Vieu 1, La Magdeleine.
La Magdeleine, a sunny terrace above the Valtournenche
High above the floor of the Valtournenche, at over sixteen hundred metres, La Magdeleine spreads across a broad sunny terrace, with small hamlets of stone and timber houses scattered among the meadows. It is a mountain municipality in every sense: climate zone F winters, snow for months, and a road of hairpin bends down to the valley.
The housing market here turns on second homes and holiday flats, alongside the homes of people who live here all year. Buyers should look closely at insulation, the heating system, snow-clearing costs and, in converted old farm buildings, the quality of the work done. For schools, doctors and shops you go down to the valley.
In 2023 Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 99 residents, 10.8% fewer than the 111 of 2011. The estimated average age is 49.8, over-65s make up 29.3% against 25.3% for the Aosta Valley, and foreign residents 1.0%. Declared incomes are close to the regional average, just below it.
The whole region, with its 74 municipalities, is in seismic zone 3. In La Magdeleine the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.079 g, a low value. For a stone and timber house, what matters most is how the roof and floors were redone, since here they also carry the weight of snow.
On mountain slopes, avalanches, landslides and streams depend on the exact spot: the report reads the official landslide and flood maps at the address and traces the land parcel using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- Sunny terrace above the Valtournenche, over sixteen hundred metres up.
- 99 residents in 2023, down 10.8% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3 like the whole Aosta Valley, acceleration 0.079 g.
- Mountain second homes: check insulation, roof and snow load.
Overview
La Magdeleine is a municipality in the province of Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste, in Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste. At the end of 2023 it had 99 residents, among the smallest in the province (73 of 74).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, La Magdeleine is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 74 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.079 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 10.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 1.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in La Magdeleine declared an average taxable income of 25,306 euros, in line with the province (26,152 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
La Magdeleine is in climate zone F, with 4,698 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,644 metres above sea level.
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 2.4% of the land in La Magdeleine, compared with 2.2% in the province and 2.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
La Magdeleine is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Valle d'Aosta in 2026. 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 La Magdeleine.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within La Magdeleine: 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 La Magdeleine 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 5 inhabited census areas in La Magdeleine. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 5.6%
- good 94.4%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Valle d'Aosta, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 007039. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.