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Rosazza: 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 Rosazza

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 Federico Rosazza 1, Rosazza.

Rosazza, the stone village rebuilt by a senator in the Valle Cervo

Rosazza lies in the upper Valle Cervo, above Biella, at almost nine hundred metres, and you notice it straight away for its stone buildings, unusual in shape for a mountain village. At the end of the nineteenth century the senator Federico Rosazza paid for a church, town hall, fountains and other public buildings, largely designed by the architect Giuseppe Maffei, which give the centre its present look.

Buyers here often choose a summer home, or a house to live in away from traffic but still within reach of Biella for work and services. Houses are of stone, with thick walls and heavy roofs that need looking after. This is climate zone F, so insulation, windows and heating weigh on costs more than they would on the plain.

Unlike many valley villages, Rosazza has gained residents: 97 in 2023, against 87 at the 2011 census, a rise of 11.5%. The estimated average age is 54.1, and over-65s make up 28.9%, just below the 30.1% for the province of Biella. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average, slightly below it.

In the province of Biella, 24 municipalities, Rosazza included, are in seismic zone 3, and the rest are in zone 4. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.049 g, a low value. For a historic stone building, look at the roof, the floors and the ties.

The valley's streams and slopes are what needs checking: the report reads the official landslide and flood maps at the exact address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Stone village in the upper Valle Cervo, above Biella.
  • Residents up 11.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.049 g.
  • Over-65s at 28.9%, against 30.1% in the province.

Overview

Rosazza is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 97 residents, among the smallest in the province (74 of 74).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rosazza is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 24 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.049 g, a low 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 11.5%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (50). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rosazza declared an average taxable income of 23,769 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Rosazza is in climate zone F, with 3,451 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 882 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Rosazza has 1 grocery shop and 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 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 1.2% of the land in Rosazza, 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

Rosazza is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is very high. 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 Rosazza.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Rosazza: 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 Rosazza 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 2 inhabited census areas in Rosazza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • good 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 096055. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.