San Bernardino Verbano: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in San Bernardino Verbano
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 Europa 1, San Bernardino Verbano.
San Bernardino Verbano, hamlets above Verbania towards Val Grande
Behind Verbania, where the hills rise towards the mountains of Val Grande, the San Bernardino stream runs down to Lake Maggiore through a narrow wooded valley. The municipality that bears its name is made up of a few hamlets scattered over these slopes, on the edge of the Val Grande National Park. Verbania, with the lake, secondary schools and services, is a few kilometres by road.
For buyers this means two things. First, being close to a town like Verbania without living in it, with more space and prices to check area by area. Second, the hamlets differ in aspect, altitude and access road: it is worth visiting in winter and seeing how much sun actually reaches the house.
In 2023 there were 1,254 residents, down 9.4% on the 1,384 of 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.6, against 49.0 in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and over-65s are 25.4%, fewer than the provincial 28.3%. Foreign residents are 2.6%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
Seismic hazard is low: San Bernardino Verbano is in zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification, like 45 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of 0.047 g. Steep slopes and streams matter more, and the report checks them on the official landslide and flood maps for the individual address.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report goes from the address to the plot, with distances to schools, the pharmacy and shops.
Key points
- Hamlets above Verbania, on the edge of the Val Grande park.
- Over-65s at 25.4%, fewer than the provincial 28.3%.
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.047 g.
- 1,254 residents, down 9.4% since 2011.
Overview
San Bernardino Verbano is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,254 residents, ranked 28 of 74 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Bernardino Verbano is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 74) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.047 g, a low 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 9.4%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Bernardino Verbano declared an average taxable income of 22,357 euros, in line with the province (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Bernardino Verbano is in climate zone E, with 2,565 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 304 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Bernardino Verbano has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 2 parks and green areas.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 2.1% of the land in San Bernardino Verbano, compared with 2.8% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Bernardino Verbano 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 San Bernardino Verbano.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Bernardino Verbano: 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 San Bernardino Verbano 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 San Bernardino Verbano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 64.3%
- good 35.7%
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 Piemonte, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Piemonte, Anagrafe regionale dei siti contaminati (ASCO). Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 9 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 103061. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.