Vercelli: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Vercelli, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Vercelli
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: Corso Liberta' 0, Vercelli.
Vercelli, in the heart of rice country
Every spring the fields around Vercelli are flooded for rice, and the plain between Torino (Turin) and Milano (Milan) turns into a vast sheet of water. Rice growing has shaped this stretch of Piedmont along the Sesia river for centuries. The old town is crowned by the Basilica of Sant'Andrea, a thirteenth-century church that sits between the Romanesque and Gothic styles, and the city hosts one of the campuses of the University of Eastern Piedmont (Università del Piemonte Orientale).
Vercelli had 45,643 residents at the end of 2023, 1.4% fewer than in 2011, and is home to 27.5% of the people living in its province of 82 municipalities. The city is in fact younger than its surroundings: the estimated average age is 47.3 compared with 48.4 across the province, and 26.4% of residents are over 65, against 28% provincially. Foreign nationals make up 14.2% of the population and households average roughly 2.1 people.
Earthquake hazard is about as low as it gets in Italy. Vercelli sits in seismic zone 4, the lowest of the four national classes, as do 81 of the 82 municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration in the centre is around 0.037 g. With an older building, the sensible questions concern general upkeep rather than seismic design.
Sports facilities stand out in the services data: 73 of them, or 1.6 per 1,000 residents against 1.02 for the province. There are 40 schools, 0.88 per 1,000 residents against 1.08 for the province; the 15 pharmacies on the official register are fewer per head than elsewhere in the province. Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), so the report can locate the plot from the address. On a plain crossed by rivers and irrigation channels, flood exposure is far from uniform: the report checks it at the exact address, along with local price ranges.
Key points
- 45,643 residents, 1.4% fewer than in 2011.
- Younger than its province: average age 47.3 against 48.4.
- Seismic zone 4, the lowest class, like 81 of 82 municipalities in the province.
- More sports facilities per head than the provincial average.
Overview
Vercelli is the capital of the province of Vercelli, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 45,643 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 28% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vercelli is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.037 g, a low 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 1.4%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 14.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vercelli declared an average taxable income of 26,431 euros, above the provincial average (24,991 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Vercelli is in climate zone E, with 2,571 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 130 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vercelli has 40 schools and 15 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 34 grocery shops and supermarkets, 44 healthcare facilities, 73 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 16.4% of the land in Vercelli, compared with 5.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Vercelli 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 23 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Vercelli, and 15 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 Vercelli: 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 Vercelli 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 473 inhabited census areas in Vercelli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.7%
- fair 24.6%
- good 74.7%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Piemonte, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Piemonte, Anagrafe regionale dei siti contaminati (ASCO). Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 9 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 002158. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.