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Senales: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Senales

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 Madonna 1, Senales.

Senales, the glacier valley above the Val Venosta

The Val Senales (Schnalstal in German) branches off the Val Venosta near Naturno and climbs for many kilometres up to the glacier and the Austrian border. The whole municipality lies in this valley: villages and scattered farmsteads along the road, the town hall at Certosa, the Vernago reservoir and, at the head of the valley, the lifts of Maso Corto, where skiing is possible even in seasons when snow is short elsewhere. It was on the glaciers of this area, in 1991, that Ötzi the Iceman was found.

Living here means high altitude and long winters: the town hall stands above 1,300 metres and the area is in climate zone F, the coldest category. Insulation, the heating system and winter access are the first things to check. Public transport has 44 stops in the municipality, and buses link the valley with the main Val Venosta.

There are 1,243 residents (2023), down 5.4% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age of 43.6 is in line with the province (43.4); over-65s make up 21.4%.

Earthquake hazard is low: all 116 municipalities in South Tyrol are in seismic zone 4, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.051 g. Avalanches and unstable slopes matter more, and the report checks them on the official maps for the address.

One thing to know: the province of Bolzano uses the land book system (catasto tavolare), and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) does not publish its parcel maps there. For Senales the report therefore cannot trace the cadastral parcel and says so; ownership checks are made at the land book office.

Key points

  • Side valley of the Val Venosta, from the valley floor up to the glacier.
  • All 116 South Tyrol municipalities in seismic zone 4.
  • 44 bus stops within the municipality.
  • Land book system: parcel maps not published by the Revenue Agency.

Overview

Senales is a municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. At the end of 2023 it had 1,243 residents, ranked 95 of 116 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Senales is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 116 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.051 g, a moderate 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 5.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 22%). Foreign residents make up 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Senales declared an average taxable income of 23,174 euros, below the provincial average (28,222 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Senales is in climate zone F, with 4,390 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,327 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Health lists, Senales has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 4 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.2 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 44 public transport stops, served by 1 bus line. That is about 35.4 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 0.4% of the land in Senales, compared with 2.7% in the province and 2.9% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Senales is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Provincia autonoma di Bolzano in 2026. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 open contaminated sites in Senales; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Senales: 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

For Senales the Revenue Agency does not publish cadastral maps: the land registry here uses the tavolare (land book) system. The report cannot give a parcel reference, but it still checks risks, services and transport at the address and states this clearly.

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 31 inhabited census areas in Senales. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 65.4%
  • good 34.6%

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 021091. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.