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San Nazzaro Sesia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in San Nazzaro Sesia

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 Nazzaro Sesia.

San Nazzaro Sesia, a walled abbey on the plain

The monument everyone knows is the abbey of Santi Nazario e Celso, a Benedictine complex enclosed by walls, with a bell tower and a frescoed cloister. Around it is a lowland village in the province of Novara, near the Sesia, the river that separates the Novara area from the Vercelli area, with low houses, farmsteads and fields stretching away in every direction.

For buyers, San Nazzaro Sesia is a quiet place from which you drive to Novara, Vercelli and the industrial towns of the area. Most properties are detached houses and rural buildings, often with a courtyard. Near the river and the irrigation canals, water is what to check: for each address the report reads the official flood hazard maps, which along the Sesia can change from one plot to the next.

The population is steady, with a slight rise: 702 residents in 2023, up 1.7% on 2011. It is older than average, though, with a mean age of 49.6 against 46.7 in the province and over-65s at 29.2% against 24.9%. Average declared income is a little below the provincial figure.

Seismic risk is low: all 87 municipalities in the province of Novara are in zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.037 g. In a country house, the roof, damp walls, heating and electrics and the energy rating weigh more, and they are worth having costed before you make an offer.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, so the report finds the land parcel from the address. For farmsteads with several buildings, this helps to see which ones belong to the plot.

Key points

  • Lowland village near the Sesia, with the abbey of Santi Nazario e Celso.
  • 702 residents, up 1.7% since 2011.
  • All 87 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Near the river, flood hazard is checked for the address.

Overview

San Nazzaro Sesia is a municipality in the province of Novara, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 702 residents, among the smallest in the province (79 of 87).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Nazzaro Sesia is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.037 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 grown by 1.7%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Nazzaro Sesia declared an average taxable income of 24,591 euros, below the provincial average (26,949 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Nazzaro Sesia is in climate zone E, with 2,619 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 153 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Nazzaro Sesia has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 5.2% of the land in San Nazzaro Sesia, compared with 11.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

San Nazzaro Sesia 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 Nazzaro Sesia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Nazzaro Sesia: 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 Nazzaro Sesia 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 7 inhabited census areas in San Nazzaro Sesia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 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 003134. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.