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Rossa: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Rossa

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 Nicolao Sottile 1, Rossa.

Rossa, a hillside village in the Val Sermenza

In 2023 Rossa had 163 residents according to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, 31 fewer than the 194 of 2011, a fall of 16.0%. Those are the numbers of a small mountain village, which is exactly what Rossa is. It lies in the Val Sermenza, a side valley of the Valsesia, above eight hundred metres, with stone and timber houses on the hillside among meadows and woods.

The estimated average age is 52.1, against 48.4 in the province of Vercelli, and over-65s make up 33.1%. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average. For work, secondary schools and the hospital the reference is the lower Valsesia, with Varallo and Borgosesia; the road follows the Sermenza down the valley and takes time, especially when it snows.

A house here should be judged with mountain life in mind. Sun exposure, distance from the nearest road and whether you can park close by all matter. In climate zone F the heating runs for many months, and on old stone buildings the most frequent costs are roofs, windows and the wiring and plumbing. For a summer second home, the village is quiet, with footpaths starting right from the door.

Almost the whole province of Vercelli is in seismic zone 4, the lowest class on the Civil Protection Department's scale: 81 municipalities out of 82, Rossa included, and the expected ground acceleration here is about 0.055 g. In the valley, the questions to ask are about slopes and watercourses, which the report checks on the official landslide and flood maps for the exact address. Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published, and the report finds the land parcel.

Key points

  • Mountain village in the Val Sermenza, Valsesia, above eight hundred metres.
  • 163 residents in 2023, down 16.0% since 2011.
  • Average age 52.1; over-65s make up 33.1%.
  • Seismic zone 4, like 81 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Overview

Rossa is a municipality in the province of Vercelli, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 163 residents, ranked 71 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rossa is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.055 g, a moderate 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 16.0%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rossa declared an average taxable income of 23,112 euros, below the provincial average (24,991 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Rossa is in climate zone F, with 3,361 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 813 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Rossa has 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 Rossa, compared with 5.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Rossa 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 contaminated sites in Rossa.

Landslides and flooding

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

Residents by band

  • fair 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 002121. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.