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Barzio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Barzio

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 Roma 1, Barzio.

Barzio, in Valsassina below the Piani di Bobbio

Barzio is one of the villages of Valsassina, the valley that climbs north from Lake Lecco between the Grigne peaks and the Bergamo Prealps. It sits at almost eight hundred metres in an open basin, and from the village a cable car runs up to the Piani di Bobbio, with ski runs in winter and walking trails in summer.

Tourism shows in the figures: for 1,265 residents the Overture Maps data list 24 cafés and restaurants, 18.97 per 1,000 inhabitants against 4.31 in the province. Alongside the families who live here all year there are homes used for holidays and weekends, and buyers will find both flats in newer blocks and older village houses.

The climate is alpine, climate zone F in the Italian scale: long winters with the heating on for many months. Insulation, windows and the boiler weigh on yearly costs more than on the plain, so read the energy performance certificate carefully. Lecco, the provincial capital, is reached by car.

There were 1,265 residents in 2023, down 2.5% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.4, against 46.6 in the province of Lecco, and over-65s are 30.0%. Households have 1.92 people on average. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is low: Barzio is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 63 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of 0.051 g. In a mountain valley, slopes and streams matter more: the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and finds the plot on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Valsassina, at almost eight hundred metres, below the Piani di Bobbio.
  • 24 cafés and restaurants for 1,265 residents.
  • Over-65s at 30.0%, average age 49.4.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.051 g.

Overview

Barzio is a municipality in the province of Lecco, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,265 residents, ranked 65 of 84 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Barzio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 84) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.051 g, a moderate 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 2.5%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Barzio declared an average taxable income of 25,167 euros, below the provincial average (28,624 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Barzio is in climate zone F, with 3,158 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 769 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Barzio has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility and 2 sports facilities.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Barzio.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 4.1% of the land in Barzio, compared with 12.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Barzio 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 no contaminated sites in Barzio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Barzio: 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 Barzio 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 11 inhabited census areas in Barzio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 11.7%
  • good 88.3%

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 097007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.