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Arcisate: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Arcisate

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 Conte Camillo Benso di Cavour 2, Arcisate.

Arcisate, the Valceresio and the train to Switzerland

Since the Arcisate to Stabio railway linked Varese with the Swiss canton of Ticino, Arcisate has sat on a line running to Varese one way and across the border to Mendrisio and Lugano the other. The town lies in the Valceresio, the valley that runs down from Varese towards Lake Lugano between wooded hills, and the municipality also includes the village of Brenno Useria.

Many residents are cross-border commuters (frontalieri) who work in Switzerland and come home every evening. This partly explains a surprising figure: incomes declared in Italy are below the average for the province of Varese, because part of the earnings is taxed across the border. For a buyer, the distance to the station matters, and the report measures it from the address: the town has 1 station served by 3 lines. If you drive to Switzerland, expect queues at the border crossings at rush hour.

The population has stayed practically the same: 9,853 residents in 2023, just 3 more than in 2011. The estimated average age is 46.0, over-65s make up 24.4% and foreign residents 6.0%. Overture Maps records 13 healthcare facilities, 1.32 per 1,000 residents, against a provincial average of 0.70.

Earthquakes are not the main concern: all 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in seismic zone 4, and in Arcisate the expected ground acceleration is about 0.039 g. Winters are cold and damp, in climate zone E, and in houses built before the 1990s insulation, boiler and windows make a real difference to the bills.

On the hills and along the valley streams, the report checks the landslide and flood maps for the exact address and traces the plot using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Valceresio, on the railway linking Varese to Mendrisio and Lugano.
  • 1 station with 3 lines; many cross-border commuters.
  • 1.32 health sites per 1,000 residents, against 0.70 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Varese.

Overview

Arcisate is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 9,853 residents, ranked 22 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Arcisate is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 136 municipalities in the province 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 6.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Arcisate declared an average taxable income of 22,383 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Arcisate is in climate zone E, with 2,651 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 381 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Arcisate has 7 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 13 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 3 train lines. That is about 0.1 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 22.5% of the land in Arcisate, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Arcisate is not among the radon priority areas designated 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Arcisate, 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 Arcisate: 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 Arcisate 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 24 inhabited census areas in Arcisate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 2.9%
  • good 85.3%
  • very good 11.9%

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 012004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.