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Sordevolo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sordevolo

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 Camillo Vercellone 1, Sordevolo.

Sordevolo, the Passion play and the Elvo valley above Biella

Every five years Sordevolo stages the Passion of Christ, an open-air performance with hundreds of villagers as actors, extras and organisers, watched by large audiences. That is what the village is known for, but day-to-day life is that of a municipality in the Elvo valley, at the foot of the mountains west of Biella, with the town a few kilometres away by road.

The centre lies at about 600 metres, in climate zone F: winters are cold and long, and the difference between a well insulated house and a poorly insulated one shows on the bills. Buyers find houses in the centre, often old and on several floors, small villas and the odd mountain hut or rustic building on the slopes. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

In 2023 there were 1,267 residents, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 4.7% on 2011. The average age is 48.6, slightly below the 49.7 of the province of Biella, and over-65s are 28.0%, fewer than the provincial 30.1%. Foreign residents are 2.5%.

Sordevolo is in seismic zone 3, like 24 municipalities in the province, while the other 50 are in zone 4; the expected ground acceleration in the village is low, 0.044 g. In older houses, damp, the roof and the systems matter more.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report reaches the land parcel. Between the streams coming down from the mountains and the steep sides of the valley, flooding and landslides vary from place to place: the report checks them on the official maps for each address.

Key points

  • Passion play village in the Elvo valley, near Biella.
  • Population down 4.7% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 28.0%, against 30.1% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, low expected acceleration: 0.044 g.

Overview

Sordevolo is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,267 residents, ranked 33 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sordevolo is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 24 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.044 g, a low 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 4.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sordevolo declared an average taxable income of 25,050 euros, in line with the province (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sordevolo is in climate zone F, with 3,123 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 630 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sordevolo has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 green area.

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 3.5% of the land in Sordevolo, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sordevolo 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 Sordevolo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sordevolo: 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 Sordevolo 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 13 inhabited census areas in Sordevolo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 56.1%
  • good 43.9%

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 096063. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.