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Plaus: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Plaus

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 Gröben 1, Plaus.

Plaus, in the lower Val Venosta on the Merano railway

Plaus is a small municipality in the lower Val Venosta (Vinschgau), in South Tyrol, on the floor of the Adige valley not far from Merano. German is the main language, as in the rest of the valley, and the village has a stop on the Val Venosta railway, which takes you to Merano quickly: a real advantage for anyone working in town, and the report measures the distance to the stop for each address.

Unlike many small mountain municipalities, the population here is growing and young. There were 756 residents in 2023, up 9.2% on the 692 of 2011. The average age is 41.0, below the 43.4 of the province of Bolzano, and over-65s make up just 15.1%, against 20.6%. Foreign residents account for 13.8%. Average declared income is below the provincial average.

For buyers, South Tyrol's own rules matter: new homes are often tied to residency requirements or subsidised housing schemes, so before signing check whether the property carries any restriction of this kind. This is climate zone F, with cold winters.

Seismic hazard is the lowest: all 116 municipalities in the province of Bolzano are in zone 4, and here the expected ground acceleration is about 0.045 g.

The land registry in South Tyrol uses the tavolare system: ownership is recorded in the land book (Grundbuch), and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) does not publish parcel maps. The report says so and works from the address itself, checking the official landslide and flood maps, which are useful between the river and the valley slopes.

Key points

  • Lower Val Venosta municipality with a train stop for Merano.
  • Population up 9.2% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 15.1%, against 20.6% in the province.
  • Tavolare land registry: no Revenue Agency cadastral maps.

Overview

Plaus is a municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. At the end of 2023 it had 756 residents, among the smallest in the province (108 of 116).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Plaus is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 116 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.045 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 9.2%. The estimated average age is 41 years, lower than the province average (43). 15% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 22%). Foreign residents make up 13.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Plaus declared an average taxable income of 24,054 euros, below the provincial average (28,222 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Plaus is in climate zone F, with 3,134 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 519 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Plaus has 1 grocery shop.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.2 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 2 public transport stops, served by 3 bus lines, 1 train line. That is about 2.6 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 7.2% of the land in Plaus, compared with 2.7% in the province and 2.9% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Plaus is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Provincia autonoma di Bolzano in 2026. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Plaus.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Plaus: 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

For Plaus the Revenue Agency does not publish cadastral maps: the land registry here uses the tavolare (land book) system. The report cannot give a parcel reference, but it still checks risks, services and transport at the address and states this clearly.

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 12 inhabited census areas in Plaus. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 16.5%
  • good 83.5%

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 021064. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.