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Villanova Biellese: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Villanova Biellese

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 Umberto 3, Villanova Biellese.

Villanova Biellese, a village on the plain south of Biella

Villanova Biellese is a small municipality on the plain in the southern part of the province of Biella, northern Piedmont, at around 230 metres, away from the valleys and mountains that shape the rest of the Biella area. The village is compact, surrounded by fields and country roads, and for work, secondary schools and the hospital people look to Biella and the larger towns of the plain.

The community is small: in 2023 there were 175 residents, down 7.9% from 190 in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and foreign residents make up just 1.1%. The estimated average age is 50.7, close to the provincial 49.7, and over-65s make up 32.0%. Households average 2.11 people. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

The housing is typical of villages on the Piedmont plain: brick courtyard houses, farmsteads with hay barns and porticoes, and detached houses built in recent decades. In older houses the most common problem is rising damp in the ground-floor walls; with farmsteads, find out which parts are already registered as living space and which are not. Climate zone E brings cold winters.

Earthquake hazard is low. Villanova Biellese is in seismic zone 4, the lowest class in the Civil Protection classification, like 50 of the 74 municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.039 g.

On the plain the main issue is water, with streams and canals: the report checks the official flood maps for the address and finds the land parcel on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Plain in the southern part of the province of Biella.
  • 175 residents in 2023, foreign residents at 1.1%.
  • Average age 50.7, close to the provincial 49.7.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.039 g.

Overview

Villanova Biellese is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 175 residents, among the smallest in the province (70 of 74).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Villanova Biellese is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (50 of 74) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.039 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 7.9%. The estimated average age is 51 years, in line with the province. 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Villanova Biellese declared an average taxable income of 23,552 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Villanova Biellese is in climate zone E, with 2,606 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 232 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Villanova Biellese has 1 healthcare facility.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 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 3.4% of the land in Villanova Biellese, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Villanova Biellese 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 Villanova Biellese.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Villanova Biellese: 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 Villanova Biellese 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 10 inhabited census areas in Villanova Biellese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.9%
  • fair 95.1%

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 096079. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.