San Damiano Macra: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in San Damiano Macra
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 Roma 1, San Damiano Macra.
San Damiano Macra, Occitan hamlets in the middle Valle Maira
San Damiano Macra lies in the middle Valle Maira, upstream of Dronero, where the valley turns alpine: the main village is on the valley floor at around 740 metres, and the land rises on either side with scattered hamlets, some reached only by narrow roads. It is an Occitan valley, where the langue d'oc can still be heard and where in recent years hikers and foreign visitors have come for the trails.
Buyers will find stone houses with slate roofs, often needing renovation, both on the valley floor and in the hamlets higher up. Before falling for an isolated house, check winter access, water, the electricity connection and internet. In climate zone F winters are long and heating costs need budgeting for. For work and services people go down to Dronero and Cuneo.
In 2023 there were 414 residents, down 5.7% on 2011. The estimated average age is 52.4, against 46.3 for the province of Cuneo, and over-65s make up 33.8%. Households average 1.76 people and foreign residents account for 5.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
San Damiano Macra is in seismic zone 3 of the national classification kept by the Civil Protection Department, like 140 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.139 g. In stone houses, check the load-bearing walls and how walls and floors are tied together, especially if the building has been raised.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and from the address the report finds the land parcel. On the slopes and along the Maira, landslides and floods are checked on the official maps.
Key points
- Middle Valle Maira, an Occitan valley above Dronero.
- Hamlets higher up: check winter access, water and internet.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.139 g.
- Over-65s at 33.8%, average age 52.4.
Overview
San Damiano Macra is a municipality in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 414 residents, ranked 164 of 247 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Damiano Macra 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 0.139 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 5.7%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (46). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 5.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Damiano Macra declared an average taxable income of 19,907 euros, below the provincial average (24,913 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Damiano Macra is in climate zone F, with 3,236 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 743 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Damiano Macra has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 1.0% of the land in San Damiano Macra, 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
San Damiano Macra 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 San Damiano Macra.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Damiano Macra: 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 Damiano Macra 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 38 inhabited census areas in San Damiano Macra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 14.5%
- good 85.5%
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
- 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 004207. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.