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Occhieppo Superiore: 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 Occhieppo Superiore

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 Martiri della Liberta' 1, Occhieppo Superiore.

Occhieppo Superiore, west of Biella towards the foothills

Occhieppo Superiore lies just west of Biella, on the first rises climbing from the Biella basin towards the Alpine foothills in Piedmont. The village is at around 460 metres, a mix of single-family houses, villas and old stone homes along roads that wind up the slope. The city is so close that Occhieppo is effectively part of its residential area.

For more than a century the Biella area was one of Italy's wool capitals, and here too many families worked in the mills of the valley. Today buyers in Occhieppo Superiore mainly want a house with a garden and a view, a few minutes from the services of Biella. Prices are generally moderate, but on the hillside look carefully at access, orientation and the state of retaining walls.

The population is 2,578 (2023 figure from Istat, the national statistics office), down 8.6% since 2011. It is an older population: over-65s make up 31.3%, above 30.1% for the province, and the average age is 50.4. Foreign residents account for 3.5%. Average incomes are slightly above the provincial figure.

On earthquakes, the municipality is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.043 g: a low value. Cold winters (climate zone E) make insulation more important, and in stone houses the upkeep of roofs and render matters.

On slopes at the foot of the mountains, gradient and streams matter. For each address the report gives elevation, gradient and the official landslide and flood maps, plus distances to schools, pharmacies and shops.

Key points

  • Just west of Biella, on the first rises.
  • Houses with gardens minutes from the city's services.
  • Over-65s at 31.3%, province at 30.1%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.043 g.

Overview

Occhieppo Superiore is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 2,578 residents, ranked 14 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Occhieppo Superiore is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 24 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.043 g, a low 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 8.6%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Occhieppo Superiore declared an average taxable income of 25,759 euros, in line with the province (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Occhieppo Superiore is in climate zone E, with 2,909 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 465 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Occhieppo Superiore has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets 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 17.1% of the land in Occhieppo Superiore, 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

Occhieppo Superiore 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 no open contaminated sites in Occhieppo Superiore; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Occhieppo Superiore: 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 Occhieppo Superiore 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 23 inhabited census areas in Occhieppo Superiore. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 99.9%
  • good 0.1%

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 096041. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.