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Postalesio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Postalesio

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 Spinedi 1, Postalesio.

Postalesio, earth pyramids on the sunny side of Valtellina

Postalesio is known for its earth pyramids, columns of glacial debris each capped by a boulder, protected as a nature reserve. The village is in central Valtellina, on the south-facing side looking down to the Adda valley floor, a short way from Sondrio. Winter sunshine on this side of the valley is a real advantage for anyone living here.

It is in heating zone F, the coldest category, and the houses stand on a slope: steep streets, terraces, homes built on several levels. Buyers should look at access, parking and retaining walls as well as insulation and heating. For work, secondary schools and hospital care you go down to the valley floor and towards Sondrio.

The population is stable, edging upwards: 666 residents in 2023, up 1.1% on the 659 of 2011. The average age is 46.5, in line with 46.8 in the province, while over-65s are 22.1%, below the provincial 25.3%. Foreign residents are 9.2%. Average declared income is just below the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is low. Postalesio is in seismic zone 3, like 64 of the 77 municipalities in the province of Sondrio, with the rest in zone 4. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.071 g. On a mountainside, slope and landslide hazard matter more, and the report reads them for the exact address on the official maps rather than as an average for the village.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Postalesio's cadastral maps, so the report goes from the address to the land parcel and the building.

Key points

  • Central Valtellina, sunny side, earth pyramids nature reserve.
  • 666 residents, up 1.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.071 g.
  • Over-65s at 22.1%, against 25.3% in the province.

Overview

Postalesio is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 666 residents, ranked 56 of 77 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Postalesio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 77) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.071 g, a moderate 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 grown by 1.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Postalesio declared an average taxable income of 22,761 euros, in line with the province (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Postalesio is in climate zone F, with 3,011 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 516 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Postalesio.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 5.0% of the land in Postalesio, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Postalesio is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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 Postalesio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Postalesio: 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 Postalesio 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 6 inhabited census areas in Postalesio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 48 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 52.4%
  • fair 47.6%

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 014053. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.