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Usseaux: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Usseaux

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 Conte Eugenio Brunetta 1, Usseaux.

Usseaux, between Fenestrelle and Pragelato in the upper Val Chisone

Above thirteen hundred metres, in the upper Val Chisone, Usseaux is made up of several clusters: the main village and hamlets such as Balboutet and Laux, scattered among meadows, larches and old stone and timber houses. The valley climbs from Pinerolo, still the reference for the hospital, secondary schools and offices. Just below is Fenestrelle with its great fort, and further up Pragelato and the ski slopes.

Many buyers here want a holiday or weekend home, though some people live in Usseaux all year. Either way, take winter seriously. The climate zone is F, snow lies for a long time and the heating runs for months. Insulation, windows, the type of boiler or stove and the state of the roof affect running costs more than floor area does. Access matters too: for a house in one of the hamlets, ask how the road is cleared of snow in winter.

In 2023 Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 173 residents, 12 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 6.5%. The estimated average age is 50.3, against 47.4 in the metropolitan city of Turin, and over-65s make up 32.9%. Declared incomes are in line with the Turin area average.

Usseaux is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 270 other municipalities in the metropolitan city, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.133 g. For an old building it is worth asking whether walls and floors have been strengthened. On mountain slopes the report checks the official landslide and flood maps at the exact address, and with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps it traces the property to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Mountain municipality of several hamlets in the upper Val Chisone.
  • 173 residents in 2023, down 6.5% since 2011.
  • Average age 50.3, against 47.4 in the Turin area.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.133 g.

Overview

Usseaux is a municipality in the province of Torino, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 173 residents, among the smallest in the province (302 of 312).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Usseaux is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3S. Most municipalities in the province (271 of 312) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.133 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 6.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Usseaux declared an average taxable income of 26,760 euros, in line with the province (27,231 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Usseaux is in climate zone F, with 4,478 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,416 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 1.4% of the land in Usseaux, compared with 8.6% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Usseaux 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 Usseaux.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Usseaux: 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 Usseaux 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 Usseaux. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 99.4%
  • good 0.6%

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 001281. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.