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Arona: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Arona

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 Camillo Benso di Cavour 1, Arona.

Arona, the lakefront and the San Carlone on Lake Maggiore

Arona lies on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, towards its southern end, facing the castle of Angera across the water. Saint Charles Borromeo was born here, and on the hill above the town stands the San Carlone, the huge statue of him made of copper sheets. The old centre runs along the shore, with the lakefront promenade and narrow streets behind it.

For anyone working elsewhere, Arona is well connected. The station is on the Simplon line between Milan and Domodossola, with another line to Novara; the A26 motorway passes just above the town and Malpensa airport is not far. The property market mixes main homes with flats bought for holidays, and prices rise close to the water and on the hills with a view.

If you are buying on the lakefront, bear in mind that in the worst floods Lake Maggiore has risen into the shoreline streets of several towns. The report checks the official flood hazard maps at the address, and the landslide maps on the hillside.

There were 13,730 residents in 2023, down 3.3% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The population is old for the area: estimated mean age 49.9 against 46.7 for the province of Novara, over-65s at 30.9% against 24.9%. Households are small, 1.98 people on average, foreign residents are 10.8% and declared incomes are above the provincial average. There is no shortage of places to eat and drink: 128 bars and restaurants are listed.

Earthquake hazard is the lowest on the scale: zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification, like all 87 municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.039 g. In villas and period buildings, roofs, damp and the state of the heating and wiring matter more. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the parcel from the address.

Key points

  • On Lake Maggiore, with trains to Milan on the Simplon line.
  • Over-65s at 30.9%, against 24.9% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest, like the whole province.
  • Lakefront homes: check flood hazard at the address.

Overview

Arona is a municipality in the province of Novara, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 13,730 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 87).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Arona is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 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 resident population has fallen by 3.3%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Arona declared an average taxable income of 29,129 euros, above the provincial average (26,949 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Arona is in climate zone E, with 2,580 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 212 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Arona has 15 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 16 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 17.6% of the land in Arona, compared with 11.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Arona 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Arona, and 6 more have 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 Arona: 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 Arona 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 44 inhabited census areas in Arona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 42.7%
  • good 56.9%

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 003008. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.