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Valenza: 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 Valenza

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: Viale della Repubblica 2, Valenza.

Valenza, goldsmiths on the hills above the Po

Jewellery made Valenza known around the world. Goldsmiths' workshops and jewellery firms have worked here for more than a century, and some international luxury brands have opened manufacturing sites in the town. Valenza sits on the first hills of the Monferrato, overlooking the Po plain between Alessandria and Casale Monferrato; across the river begins the Lomellina, in Lombardy.

The town has an upper part on the hills, with the historic centre and the quieter residential districts, and a lower part towards the river and the railway, with workshops, industrial areas and newer housing. The fall in population in recent years has left a number of homes empty, especially in the centre and in older buildings, and there is plenty of property needing renovation. In the low areas near the Po flood hazard should be checked for the address, and on the hills landslide hazard.

In 2023 Valenza had 18,084 residents, down 8.1% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, or 1,587 fewer people. The population is old, as across the province of Alessandria: an estimated average age of 49.3, with over-65s at 28.8% against 26.6% for Piedmont. Households are small, 1.98 people on average, and foreign nationals make up 8.1%. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average. Schools are thinner on the ground than the provincial average, sports facilities more plentiful.

The province of Alessandria is split between two seismic zones in the classification set by the Civil Protection Department: 127 municipalities are in zone 3 and 60, Valenza included, in zone 4, the lowest. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.052 g. When buying here, insulation, systems and the state of roofs and façades carry more weight. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Italy's jewellery town, on the hills above the Po.
  • Residents down 8.1% since 2011, households of 1.98.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected ground acceleration about 0.052 g.
  • Flooding near the Po, landslides on the hills: checked by address.

Overview

Valenza is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 18,084 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 187).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Valenza is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 60 of 187 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.052 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 8.1%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 8.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Valenza declared an average taxable income of 24,656 euros, in line with the province (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Valenza is in climate zone E, with 2,587 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 125 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Valenza has 11 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 19 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).

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 12.0% of the land in Valenza, compared with 7.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Valenza 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Valenza, and 2 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Valenza: 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 Valenza 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 194 inhabited census areas in Valenza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.8%
  • fair 12.3%
  • good 54.9%
  • very good 32.0%

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 006177. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.