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Ponderano: 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 Ponderano

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 Giuseppe Mazzini 1, Ponderano.

Ponderano, the plain south of Biella and the new hospital

Anyone driving up to Biella from the plain passes through Ponderano, one of the towns on the city's southern edge, on almost flat land at about 350 metres. Biella's new hospital was built within its boundaries, which explains why the data show more healthcare facilities than in similar towns. Otherwise it is a residential place, tied like the rest of the Biella area to the history of the textile industry.

Being so close to the city shapes buying decisions: Biella is a few minutes' drive away and many residents work there. Homes are mostly detached houses and low-rise flats from the second half of the twentieth century, with some older houses in the historic core and workshops and industrial buildings on the edges. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Ponderano is one of the larger municipalities in the province. In 2023 there were 3,661 residents, 6.8% fewer than in 2011, or 266 people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The province of Biella is one of the oldest in Italy: here the average age is 48.8, slightly below the provincial 49.7, and over-65s make up 29.0%. Foreign residents account for 5.1%.

Seismic hazard is low. Ponderano is in zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification (the national emergency agency), like 49 other municipalities in the province, while 24 are in zone 3; the expected acceleration is about 0.041 g. In a house from the 1960s or 1970s, insulation, windows and systems matter more, in an area with cold winters. The report still checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address and uses the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps to find the land parcel.

Key points

  • Town on the southern edge of Biella, home of the new hospital.
  • 3,661 residents, down 6.8% since 2011.
  • Average age 48.8, over-65s at 29.0%.
  • Seismic zone 4, low expected acceleration, about 0.041 g.

Overview

Ponderano is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 3,661 residents, among the most populous in the province (8 of 74).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ponderano 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 0.041 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 6.8%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ponderano declared an average taxable income of 25,276 euros, in line with the province (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ponderano is in climate zone E, with 2,691 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 357 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ponderano has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.

There are 1.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 20.2% of the land in Ponderano, 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

Ponderano 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 Ponderano; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ponderano: 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 Ponderano 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 16 inhabited census areas in Ponderano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.6%
  • fair 76.0%
  • good 20.5%

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 096047. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.