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Sale: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sale

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 Gerbidi 1, Sale.

Sale, farmland between Alessandria, Tortona and the Po

Fields, poplar plantations and farmhouses: the countryside around Sale is the Alessandria plain running down towards the river Po, north-east of Alessandria and not far from Tortona. The town is a fair-sized farming centre, with a compact core of low houses and courtyards and roads leading out to hamlets and scattered farms.

House hunters will find village houses with courtyards, detached homes and farm buildings to restore, in a quiet market. Much of the work is outside the town, in Alessandria, Tortona and the business areas along the main roads. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The figures describe a town that is shrinking and ageing. In 2023 there were 3,842 residents, down 8.9% on 2011, which is 376 fewer people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 49.5, against 48.9 in the province, over-65s make up 29.2% and foreign residents 13.1%.

The province of Alessandria has municipalities in seismic zones 3 and 4 of the Civil Protection Department's scale; Sale is in zone 3 with 126 others, and an expected ground acceleration of about 0.067 g. The hazard is low. In old brick houses, cracks, the roof and rising damp, common on the plain, matter more. Winters are cold and foggy, in climate zone E.

The land registry is published, so the report traces an address back to its plot. On a plain crossed by large rivers, flooding is the thing to check before buying: the report reads the official maps for that specific point, which can differ from the picture for the town as a whole.

Key points

  • Farming town on the Alessandria plain towards the Po, near Tortona.
  • Down 8.9% since 2011: 3,842 residents in 2023.
  • Over-65s at 29.2%, average age 49.5.
  • Seismic zone 3; on the plain, check flood maps.

Overview

Sale is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 3,842 residents, among the most populous in the province (15 of 187).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sale is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (127 of 187) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.067 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 fallen by 8.9%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 13.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sale declared an average taxable income of 22,859 euros, below the provincial average (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sale is in climate zone E, with 2,484 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 83 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sale has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 6.7% of the land in Sale, compared with 7.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sale 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 Sale, and 2 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 Sale: 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 Sale 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 59 inhabited census areas in Sale. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.2%
  • fair 32.3%
  • good 67.5%

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 006151. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.