Saint-Nicolas: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste, Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Saint-Nicolas
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: Frazione Vens 1, Saint-Nicolas.
Saint-Nicolas, a sunny terrace above the Dora valley
On the south-facing side of the main Aosta Valley, above Saint-Pierre and Villeneuve, Saint-Nicolas looks down on the Dora Baltea river from around twelve hundred metres. The municipality is a scattering of villages among meadows and woods, linked by a road climbing from the valley floor. Aosta is a short drive away, which explains a lot about who lives here. Within the valley the village is also known for its study centre on Franco-Provençal, the local language.
The population here is growing. Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 334 residents in 2023, 19 more than the 315 of 2011, an increase of 6.0%. The estimated average age is 45.7, below the 47.0 of the Aosta Valley as a whole, and 22.2% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents make up 7.2%. Declared incomes are slightly below the regional average.
For buyers, the appeal is the aspect: in a valley where many slopes stay in shade through winter, the sun reaches here for long hours. Housing includes rural stone and timber houses, often restored, and recent homes. In climate zone F insulation, windows and heating matter; at this height, snow has to be factored into daily journeys too.
All 74 municipalities in the Aosta Valley are in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale; in Saint-Nicolas the expected acceleration is about 0.104 g. With a restored stone house, ask whether the work covered the structure or only the finishes.
On the slopes the report measures the gradient and checks the official landslide maps for the address, together with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.
Key points
- Sunny slope above the Dora valley, close to Aosta.
- Population up 6.0% since 2011.
- Average age 45.7, below the Aosta Valley average.
- All 74 Aosta Valley municipalities in seismic zone 3.
Overview
Saint-Nicolas is a municipality in the province of Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste, in Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste. At the end of 2023 it had 334 residents, ranked 57 of 74 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Saint-Nicolas is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 74 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.104 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 6.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Saint-Nicolas declared an average taxable income of 23,092 euros, below the provincial average (26,152 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Saint-Nicolas is in climate zone F, with 4,032 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,200 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Saint-Nicolas has 2 schools.
The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 3.3% of the land in Saint-Nicolas, compared with 2.2% in the province and 2.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Saint-Nicolas is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Valle d'Aosta in 2026. 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 Saint-Nicolas.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Saint-Nicolas: 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 Saint-Nicolas 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 15 inhabited census areas in Saint-Nicolas. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 46.7%
- good 53.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Valle d'Aosta, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 007061. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.