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Sambuco: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sambuco

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 Umberto Primo 1, Sambuco.

Sambuco, on the road to the Colle della Maddalena

The main road that climbs the Valle Stura towards the Colle della Maddalena pass and France runs through Sambuco, a mountain village at almost twelve hundred metres. The stone houses are gathered near the road and the stream, with steep slopes and woods all round. Cuneo, at the bottom of the valley, is the town for work, secondary schools and hospital.

Buyers should know that the valley is also a route through to France, with the traffic that brings along the main road, while the side hamlets are much quieter. Traditional stone houses need checks on the roof, floors and damp, and with climate zone F heating is a significant cost. In winter, find out how you would reach the house in snow.

In 2023 there were 83 residents, 17.0% fewer than the 100 of 2011. The estimated average age is 51.2, over-65s make up 31.3% (against 25.1% in the province of Cuneo) and foreign residents 4.8%. Declared incomes remain below the provincial average.

Sambuco is in seismic zone 3, on the scale set by the Civil Protection Department, like 140 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.133 g. With a stone mountain house, ask whether the roof has been redone and how it is tied to the walls.

Stream and slopes are the issue to check. The report looks at the official landslide and flood maps for the precise address and identifies the land parcel with the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Village in the Valle Stura, on the road to France.
  • 83 residents in 2023, down 17.0% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 31.3%, against 25.1% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.133 g.

Overview

Sambuco is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 83 residents, among the smallest in the province (233 of 247).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sambuco is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3S. Most municipalities in the province (141 of 247) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.133 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 17.0%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (46). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sambuco declared an average taxable income of 18,290 euros, below the provincial average (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sambuco is in climate zone F, with 3,783 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,184 metres above sea level.

Services

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 0.5% of the land in Sambuco, compared with 5.3% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sambuco is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. 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 Sambuco.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sambuco: 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 Sambuco 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 3 inhabited census areas in Sambuco. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 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 004204. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.