Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Masserano: 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 Masserano

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, Masserano.

Masserano, a former principality between Biella and the Sesia

For centuries Masserano was the seat of a small principality held by the Ferrero Fieschi family, and the Palazzo dei Principi in the old centre is its most visible trace. Today it is a hill municipality in the eastern part of the province of Biella, among woods, vineyards and scattered hamlets, with Biella to the west and the Sesia valley to the east.

The old centre has closely packed masonry houses, arcades and sloping streets, while outside it there are detached homes, houses with gardens and farmhouses in the woods. Buyers should think about access and parking in the centre, and in the hamlets the distance to services, which the report measures from the exact address. On the slopes and near the streams, the official landslide and flood maps are read for the same address.

The population has been falling for years. In 2023 there were 1,902 residents, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 13.6% on 2011, or 300 fewer people. The average age is 50.7, close to the 49.7 of the province, and over-65s are 29.4%. Foreign residents are 7.3%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is the lowest on the Civil Protection scale: Masserano is in seismic zone 4, with an expected acceleration of 0.040 g. In the old houses of the centre, the likely costs are roofs, facades, damp and the heating and electrics, and in listed buildings any work has to be agreed with the heritage authority (Soprintendenza).

With climate zone E, heating and good insulation are needed for many months. The Revenue Agency publishes cadastral maps and the report traces the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Former principality, with the Palazzo dei Principi.
  • Hills in eastern Biella province, towards the Sesia.
  • Population down 13.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.040 g.

Overview

Masserano is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,902 residents, ranked 23 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Masserano 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 0.040 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 13.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Masserano declared an average taxable income of 22,588 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Masserano is in climate zone E, with 2,748 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 341 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Masserano has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 7.6% of the land in Masserano, 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

Masserano 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 Masserano. 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 Masserano: 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 Masserano 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 35 inhabited census areas in Masserano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 72.6%
  • good 27.3%

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 096032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.