Vignole Borbera: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Vignole Borbera
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 Italia 1, Vignole Borbera.
Vignole Borbera, where the Borbera valley opens out
Vignole Borbera sits where the Val Borbera opens onto the Scrivia valley, in the Novi Ligure area in the south-east of the province of Alessandria. The Borbera stream runs north out of the Apennines, and the village spreads across the valley floor and the lower slopes, with Liguria a short drive to the south. For commuters, the Scrivia valley and the A7 motorway between Genoa and Milan are close, and Novi Ligure is the nearest town for services and shopping.
Housing here means low-rise buildings, village houses and detached homes, plus farmhouses and scattered houses on the hillsides. Aspect, access and gradient change a lot between the valley floor and the higher ground, so each building needs to be judged on its own. If you are looking at a house near the stream, the report shows the official flood maps for that address, and the same goes for landslide maps on the slopes.
According to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, there were 2,038 residents at the end of 2023, down 9.2% on 2011, when there were 2,245. The average age is 48.1, slightly below the provincial figure of 48.9, and 27.0% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents make up 10.1%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.
Vignole Borbera is in seismic zone 3, along with 126 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.093 g. That is a moderate level: in older stone houses, what matters is the condition of load-bearing walls, the roof and the ties between floors and walls.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, so the report can go from the address to the plot the building stands on.
Key points
- Valley village between the Val Borbera and the Scrivia valley.
- Population down 9.2% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.093 g.
- Homes near the stream: check flood maps address by address.
Overview
Vignole Borbera is a municipality in the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 2,038 residents, ranked 22 of 187 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vignole Borbera is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (127 of 187) 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 9.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vignole Borbera declared an average taxable income of 24,950 euros, in line with the province (25,143 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Vignole Borbera is in climate zone E, with 2,660 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 243 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vignole Borbera has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 2 sports facilities.
There are 1.5 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.0).
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 14.4% of the land in Vignole Borbera, compared with 7.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Vignole Borbera is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Vignole Borbera, and one more has 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 Vignole Borbera: 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 Vignole Borbera 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 19 inhabited census areas in Vignole Borbera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 19.5%
- good 80.5%
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 006180. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.