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Valfurva: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Valfurva

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 San Nicolo' 1, Valfurva.

Valfurva, Santa Caterina and the Stelvio in upper Valtellina

Valfurva is a side valley of upper Valtellina that starts at Bormio and climbs towards the Gavia pass, inside the Stelvio National Park. The town hall is above 1,300 metres, at San Nicolò, and higher up lies Santa Caterina Valfurva, a ski and hiking resort known well beyond Lombardy. The climate zone is F, the coldest: long winters, snow and tourist seasons that set the rhythm of life.

The property market reflects this double identity. Alongside the homes of year-round residents there are many flats and chalets used as holiday homes, especially in Santa Caterina. Buyers should look closely at insulation, the type of heating, service charges in shared buildings and winter access. Very little land is built on, and the park rules weigh on extensions and new building. High in the mountains, the position relative to slopes and streams matters too: the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,459 residents in 2023, down 9.0% since 2011. The average age is 47.8, slightly above the province of Sondrio, and over-65s make up 25.9%. Foreign residents are very few, at 1.1%.

Tourism explains the 26 cafés and restaurants recorded, a lot for a municipality of this size; there are also 2 supermarkets and 2 pharmacies. For hospital and secondary schools people go down to Bormio or Sondrio.

Valfurva is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.093 g, a low value. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Side valley from Bormio to the Gavia pass, in the Stelvio park.
  • Many holiday homes, especially in Santa Caterina Valfurva.
  • Population down 9.0% since 2011, average age 47.8.
  • Seismic zone 3; insulation and winter access matter.

Overview

Valfurva is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,459 residents, ranked 24 of 77 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Valfurva is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 77) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.093 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 9.0%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Valfurva declared an average taxable income of 20,457 euros, below the provincial average (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Valfurva is in climate zone F, with 3,971 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,339 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Valfurva has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 6 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.8 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Valfurva.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 0.7% of the land in Valfurva, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Valfurva is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 open contaminated sites in Valfurva; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Valfurva: 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 Valfurva 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 23 inhabited census areas in Valfurva. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 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 014073. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.