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Zubiena: 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 Zubiena

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: Strada Casale Filippi 1, Zubiena.

Zubiena, the Serra ridge and the Bessa near Biella

The Serra, the long glacial ridge that separates the Biella area from the Canavese, runs down through woods to Zubiena, a scattered municipality at around 500 metres. Part of the Bessa nature reserve lies within it: here heaps of pebbles left by Roman-era gold mining make a striking landscape. Biella and Ivrea are the reference towns, reached by car.

Zubiena is a set of hamlets and clusters of houses among the trees rather than a single centre. Buyers find stone houses, villas and some rural buildings, often with land or woodland around them. Roads are narrow and steep, and in winter climate zone E makes itself felt: heating, insulation and access to the house are the first things to check.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,136 residents in 2023, 9.2% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 51.0, above the 49.7 of the province of Biella, and 32.7% of residents are over 65, compared with 30.1%. Foreign residents make up 3.5%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department scale, like 24 of the 74 municipalities in the province, but expected ground acceleration is low, at 0.041 g. In a stone house the roof, damp and the state of the floors matter most.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report traces the land parcel from the address. On the slopes of the Serra, gradient and landslide hazard are checked on the official maps for each house.

Key points

  • On the slopes of the Serra, between Biella and the Canavese.
  • Part of the Bessa nature reserve lies within the municipality.
  • Over-65s at 32.7%, against 30.1% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.041 g.

Overview

Zubiena is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,136 residents, ranked 36 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Zubiena is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 24 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.041 g, a low 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 51 years, in line with the province. 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Zubiena declared an average taxable income of 22,603 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Zubiena is in climate zone E, with 2,944 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 492 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Zubiena has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 4.6% of the land in Zubiena, 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

Zubiena 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 Zubiena.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Zubiena: 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 Zubiena 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 22 inhabited census areas in Zubiena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 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 096082. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.