Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Belgirate: 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 Belgirate

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 Giuseppe Mazzini 1, Belgirate.

Belgirate, houses and villas on Lake Maggiore's Piedmont shore

Belgirate is a lake village: it lies on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, between Lesa and Stresa, squeezed between the water and the slope rising behind it. The Simplon state road runs along the shore and through the village, and the old centre, the villas and the newer houses are arranged in bands between the lakefront and the hillside.

Much of the market is second homes and flats with lake views. Buyers need to look at very practical matters: noise and traffic from the main road for houses facing it, parking, worth checking in a village pressed between lake and mountain, and steps and gradients for the houses higher up. In climate zone E, winters on the lake stay cool and damp.

In 2023 there were 479 residents, down 12.3% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. It is an older community: an average age of 53.9 against 49.0 for the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, with over-65s at 34.2% against 28.3%. Foreign residents are 10.9%. Average declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is low: Belgirate is in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection department's national scale, like 45 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.041 g. For a period villa or a building on the lake, the roof, façades and damp matter more.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report gets from the address to the land parcel. For houses near the shore, it is worth knowing whether the area is among those the lake can flood when it rises, and for those on the slope whether any landslides are mapped: the report checks both on the official maps.

Key points

  • Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, between Lesa and Stresa.
  • Average age 53.9, over-65s at 34.2%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.041 g.
  • Lakeside homes: water level, main road and parking.

Overview

Belgirate is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 479 residents, ranked 49 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Belgirate 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 0.041 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 12.3%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 10.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Belgirate declared an average taxable income of 28,283 euros, above the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Belgirate is in climate zone E, with 2,428 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 199 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Belgirate has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 4.3% of the land in Belgirate, 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

Belgirate 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Belgirate. 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 Belgirate: 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 Belgirate 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 16 inhabited census areas in Belgirate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 51 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 20.7%
  • fair 74.7%
  • good 4.6%

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 103010. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.