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Arola: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Arola

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 Varallo 1, Arola.

Arola, a mountain village above Lake Orta

On the high ground above the western shore of Lake Orta, in the area known as the Cusio, Arola has its centre at about six hundred metres. Houses are gathered in an old core and a few hamlets, among woods and sloping meadows. Omegna, the main town of the Cusio, is where people go for shopping, schools and work, while for the hospital and larger offices they head towards Lake Maggiore or the Novara area.

The market is small: stone village houses, rustic buildings to restore and a few newer detached homes, often used as second homes. The climate is alpine, climate zone F, so anyone planning to live here all year should weigh up insulation and heating, as well as the access road in icy weather. Average declared incomes are below the average for the province of Verbano Cusio Ossola.

In 2023 there were 242 residents, down 3.2% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 50.5, against 49.0 in the province, and over-65s make up 30.6%. Households average 2.03 people, and foreign residents account for 4.1%.

Earthquake hazard is low. Arola is in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection scale, like 46 of the 74 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.045 g. On the slopes running down towards the lake, ground stability matters more: the report measures the gradient and checks the official landslide and watercourse maps for the address. Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Cusio village on the high ground above Lake Orta, at about 600 metres.
  • 242 residents in 2023, down 3.2%.
  • Average age 50.5; over-65s at 30.6%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.045 g.

Overview

Arola is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 242 residents, ranked 64 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Arola is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 74) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.045 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 3.2%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Arola declared an average taxable income of 21,140 euros, below the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Arola is in climate zone F, with 3,104 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 615 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.3 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 3.0% of the land in Arola, compared with 2.8% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Arola 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 Arola.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Arola: 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 Arola 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 5 inhabited census areas in Arola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 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 103004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.