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Sant'Agata Fossili: 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 Sant'Agata Fossili

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 Xx Settembre 1, Sant'Agata Fossili.

Sant'Agata Fossili, the hills south-east of Tortona

The hills of the Tortona area, south-east of the town, are a countryside of vineyards, fields and woods where villages sit on the ridges and roads wind their way up. Sant'Agata Fossili is one of them, at around 420 metres, with a compact centre and farmsteads scattered along the slopes. Tortona is the reference for work, services, hospital and the railway station; further afield are Novi Ligure and Alessandria.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 364 residents in 2023, 17.5% fewer than the 441 of 2011. The estimated average age is 54.3, against 48.9 in the province of Alessandria, and over-65s make up 36.0%, above the provincial 28.6%. Foreign residents are 4.9%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

House hunters here mostly find farmsteads and village houses, often large and with land, sometimes needing complete renovation. Budget for the roof, floors, services and heating, in climate zone E with cold winters. The village has few services, and shopping and schools mean driving down to the plain.

Earthquake hazard is moderate: Sant'Agata is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, with 126 other municipalities in the province, while 60 are in zone 4. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.093 g. With a masonry farmstead, the renovation is the right moment to tie walls and floors together properly. The marl hills of the Tortona area can shift: the official landslide maps should be read for the address.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published and the report finds the land parcel and building.

Key points

  • Hill village south-east of Tortona.
  • 364 residents in 2023, over-65s at 36.0%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.093 g.
  • Large farmsteads with land: budget for roof, floors and services.

Overview

Sant'Agata Fossili is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 364 residents, ranked 144 of 187 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sant'Agata Fossili 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 0.093 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 17.5%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sant'Agata Fossili declared an average taxable income of 24,738 euros, in line with the province (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sant'Agata Fossili is in climate zone E, with 2,926 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 425 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 4.1% of the land in Sant'Agata Fossili, 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

Sant'Agata Fossili 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 Sant'Agata Fossili.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sant'Agata Fossili: 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 Sant'Agata Fossili 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 9 inhabited census areas in Sant'Agata Fossili. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 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 006156. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.