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Piode: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Piode

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, Piode.

Piode, a village on the Sesia in the heart of Valsesia

On the road that climbs Valsesia from Varallo towards Alagna, in north-eastern Piedmont, Piode is one of the villages looking onto the river Sesia, at about 750 metres. The centre sits close to the river and the road, while the hamlets climb the slopes among woods and meadows. For secondary schools, healthcare and shops people drive down to Varallo and the lower valley.

The village lives partly on tourism and holiday homes: Overture Maps lists 26.60 places to eat per 1,000 residents, against 4.52 in the province of Vercelli. In 2023 there were 188 permanent residents, just 2.6% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age, 48.6, is practically the provincial figure (48.4); over-65s make up 27.1% and foreign residents 2.7%.

Buyers will find stone houses with slab roofs, chalets in the hamlets and a few newer houses. Climate zone F means long winters, so roof insulation, windows and the type of heating make a real difference to costs. For a house in one of the hamlets, ask how you get there in winter and who clears the snow.

As for earthquakes, the province of Vercelli is almost entirely in zone 4, the lowest class in the Civil Protection classification: 81 municipalities out of 82, Piode included, with expected ground acceleration here of about 0.053 g. Upkeep and damp matter more than seismic risk.

The river and the side streams are what to look at. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Village on the Sesia, between Varallo and Alagna, at about 750 metres.
  • 188 residents in 2023, down 2.6% since 2011.
  • 26.60 places to eat per 1,000 residents.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.053 g.

Overview

Piode is a municipality in the province of Vercelli, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 188 residents, ranked 68 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Piode is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.053 g, a moderate 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 2.6%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Piode declared an average taxable income of 23,276 euros, below the provincial average (24,991 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Piode is in climate zone F, with 3,282 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 752 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Piode has 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 1.8% of the land in Piode, compared with 5.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Piode is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is very high. 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 Piode.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Piode: 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 Piode 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 11 inhabited census areas in Piode. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 12.8%
  • fair 87.2%

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 002097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.