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Terzo: 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 Terzo

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 Stazione 1, Terzo.

Terzo, a hill above the Bormida next to Acqui

Terzo looks out over the Bormida valley just outside Acqui Terme, the spa town that residents rely on for schools, shops, the hospital and the railway station. The village occupies a hill among vineyards and woods, with the old core at the top and newer houses spread along the roads running down to the valley floor.

Buying in Terzo means choosing the Acqui hills with the town close at hand. The market offers small villas, village houses and farmhouses with land, some needing restoration. Before making an offer, look at gradient and access, the state of the roof and damp in the walls; this is climate zone E, with cold winters and fog in the valley.

According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 821 residents in 2023, 9.5% fewer than the 907 of 2011. The average age is 51.1 (province of Alessandria 48.9), with over-65s at 29.7% and foreign residents at 6.5%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is moderate: Terzo is in zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, like 127 of the 187 municipalities in the province, with the other 60 in zone 4. Expected ground acceleration is about 0.054 g. In a stone and brick farmhouse, what matters most is the condition of the walls and how they are tied to the roof.

The Bormida valley floor and the hill slopes are very different when it comes to floods and landslides, and the report checks both on the official maps for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, so the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Acqui hills overlooking the Bormida valley.
  • Acqui Terme close by for services, schools and the station.
  • Residents down 9.5% since 2011, over-65s at 29.7%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.054 g.

Overview

Terzo is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 821 residents, ranked 85 of 187 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Terzo 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 0.054 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 9.5%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Terzo declared an average taxable income of 24,151 euros, in line with the province (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Terzo is in climate zone E, with 2,669 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 222 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Terzo has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

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 9.7% of the land in Terzo, 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

Terzo 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 Terzo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Terzo: 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 Terzo 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 21 inhabited census areas in Terzo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 47 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 60.4%
  • fair 39.6%

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 006172. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.