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Massazza: 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 Massazza

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, Massazza.

Massazza, a small lowland municipality in the Biella area

Massazza has more residents today than in 2011: Istat, the national statistics office, counted 560 in 2023, 18 more than at the census, growth of 3.3%. It is also younger than its province, with an average age of 45.4 against 49.7, and over-65s at 23.4% against 30.1% across the province of Biella.

The municipality lies in the flat part of the province, at around two hundred metres, away from the Alpine valleys that shape the rest of the area. It is a residential and farming place: for work, secondary schools and services people rely on the larger towns nearby, Biella first of all, and a car is a must.

Households average 2.43 people and foreign nationals make up 12.5% of residents. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average. Buyers will find detached houses with yards, small villas and the odd farmstead, often with land.

The province of Biella has municipalities in seismic zones 3 and 4: Massazza is in zone 4, the lowest, together with 49 others, and the expected acceleration is about 0.039 g. Rather than the structure, what matters in a lowland house is damp, insulation and the heating and electrics.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality. The report starts from the address, finds the plot and checks the official maps for flood hazard from streams and canals, which on the plain changes from one spot to the next.

Key points

  • Residents up 3.3% since 2011.
  • Average age 45.4, against 49.7 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest in the classification.
  • Revenue Agency cadastral maps available.

Overview

Massazza is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 560 residents, ranked 51 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Massazza 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 0.039 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 grown by 3.3%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (50). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 12.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Massazza declared an average taxable income of 22,672 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Massazza is in climate zone E, with 2,598 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 226 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Massazza has 1 school. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 7.8% of the land in Massazza, 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

Massazza 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Massazza. 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 Massazza: 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 Massazza 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 15 inhabited census areas in Massazza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 9.3%
  • fair 90.7%

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 096031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.