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Torrazzo: 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 Torrazzo

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, Torrazzo.

Torrazzo, on the Serra ridge between Biella and the Canavese

The Serra is the long moraine ridge, left by the ancient Dora Baltea glacier, that separates the Biella area from the Canavese, and Torrazzo sits right on its back, above six hundred metres. The village is surrounded by woods, with its houses gathered together and a few homes scattered along the ridge. Biella on one side and Ivrea on the other are the reference towns for work, schools and hospital care.

People who choose Torrazzo are after the quiet of the woods and a house with outdoor space, and accept using the car for every trip. Homes are mostly old village houses and small villas built in recent decades. In a house like this, look at the boiler, insulation, roof and windows, because climate zone F means long, cold winters. On the slopes of the ridge, the report reads the official landslide hazard maps for the address.

In 2023 there were 199 residents, 25 fewer than the 224 of 2011, a fall of 11.2%. The estimated average age is 50.2, very close to the 49.7 of the province of Biella, and over-65s make up 32.7%. Foreign residents account for 3.0%.

The province of Biella has two seismic zones: 24 municipalities are in zone 3 and 50 in zone 4. Torrazzo is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration in the village of about 0.042 g, a low value. In older masonry houses it is still worth having the ties between walls and floors checked during any work. Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • Village on the Serra moraine ridge, between Biella and Ivrea.
  • 199 residents in 2023, down 11.2% since 2011.
  • Average age 50.2, close to the provincial 49.7.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.042 g.

Overview

Torrazzo is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 199 residents, among the smallest in the province (67 of 74).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Torrazzo 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 0.042 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 11.2%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Torrazzo declared an average taxable income of 23,376 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Torrazzo is in climate zone F, with 3,113 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 622 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 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 3.1% of the land in Torrazzo, 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

Torrazzo 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 Torrazzo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Torrazzo: 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 Torrazzo 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 4 inhabited census areas in Torrazzo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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 096069. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.