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Piovà Massaia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Piovà Massaia

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 Ippolita Polledro 1, Piovà Massaia.

Piovà Massaia, Cardinal Massaia's village in northern Asti

The second part of the village's name comes from Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia, the Capuchin missionary born here who spent decades in Ethiopia. Piovà Massaia lies in the hills of the north of the province of Asti, at about three hundred metres, with its centre on a rise and a countryside of smallholdings, woods and farmhouses around it.

It is a small, residential village. For work and services people drive to Asti or nearby towns. The market offers houses in the centre with courtyards, farmhouses to renovate and newer detached homes; with an isolated farmhouse, check the access, drainage and condition of the roof.

There were 577 residents in 2023, 103 fewer than the 680 of 2011, a fall of 15.1%. The average age is 51.5, against 47.9 in the Asti area, and over-65s make up 32.6%, above the provincial 27.3%. Foreign residents account for 9.7%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

The earthquake picture is calm: Piovà Massaia is in seismic zone 4, like 112 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.040 g. In brick hillside houses, cracks linked to the ground, damp and insulation matter more.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report links the address to its land parcel. On the hillsides, landslide hazard should be checked house by house, using the official maps read for the exact position.

Key points

  • Birthplace of Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia, in northern Asti.
  • 577 residents in 2023, down 15.1% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 32.6%, against 27.3% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.040 g.

Overview

Piovà Massaia is a municipality in the province of Asti, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 577 residents, ranked 63 of 117 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Piovà Massaia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (113 of 117) 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 15.1%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 9.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Piovà Massaia declared an average taxable income of 24,233 euros, in line with the province (24,302 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Piovà Massaia is in climate zone E, with 2,734 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 300 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Piovà Massaia has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 sports facilities.

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 5.0% of the land in Piovà Massaia, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Piovà Massaia 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 low. 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 Piovà Massaia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Piovà Massaia: 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 Piovà Massaia 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 Piovà Massaia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 005086. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.