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Prato Sesia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Prato Sesia

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 Giacomo Matteotti 1, Prato Sesia.

Prato Sesia, between the river and the wine hills

The Sesia flows to the west of the village and the Novara hills rise behind the village: Prato Sesia sits at this meeting point of the plain and the lower Valsesia, with its centre at around 275 metres and hillside vineyards producing wines under the Colline Novaresi designation.

Borgomanero, Novara and Lake Orta are a reasonable drive away, and many residents work for businesses in the area. Homes range from the old core, with courtyards and walls of river cobbles, to newer detached houses on the lower slopes. With an old house, have a surveyor price up the roof, systems and damp; with a 1970s house, insulation and the boiler, since the climate zone is E.

There were 1,830 residents in 2023, down 8.2% on 2011. The average age is 48.3 against 46.7 in the province, over-65s make up 26.6% and foreign residents 3.9%.

The earthquake hazard is low: all 87 municipalities in the province of Novara are in seismic zone 4, and here the expected ground acceleration is 0.039 g.

The river is the thing to look at most closely. Houses nearest the Sesia and the smaller watercourses may fall within areas the official maps treat as flood-prone. Starting from the address, the report identifies the land parcel on the Revenue Agency cadastral maps and checks the flood and landslide hazard maps for that spot.

Key points

  • Between the Sesia and the Colline Novaresi wine hills.
  • All 87 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Population down 8.2% since 2011.
  • Homes near the Sesia: check flood-prone areas.

Overview

Prato Sesia is a municipality in the province of Novara, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,830 residents, ranked 40 of 87 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Prato Sesia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.039 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 8.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (47). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Prato Sesia declared an average taxable income of 26,027 euros, in line with the province (26,949 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Prato Sesia is in climate zone E, with 2,518 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 275 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Prato Sesia has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.

There are 0.5 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

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 9.6% of the land in Prato Sesia, compared with 11.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Prato Sesia 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Prato Sesia. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Prato Sesia: 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 Prato Sesia 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 20 inhabited census areas in Prato Sesia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.4%
  • fair 82.9%
  • good 16.7%

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 003122. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.