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Bene Lario: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Bene Lario

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 Superiore 1, Bene Lario.

Bene Lario, in Val Menaggio between Lake Como and Porlezza

Between Menaggio on Lake Como and Porlezza on Lake Lugano runs a short green valley, Val Menaggio. Bene Lario sits on its hillside at around four hundred metres, above the road that links the two lakes. It is a village of clustered houses and hamlets, with woods behind it and open views over the valley.

The location explains a lot about who lives here. The lake and Menaggio are close, Switzerland is a short distance beyond Porlezza, and the road between the two lakes is the route the whole valley depends on, with more traffic in summer. For a buyer, it matters whether the house is easy to reach from that road, how much sun it gets and what state the roof and windows are in. In climate zone E winters are cold but not extreme.

The population figures are worth a look too. In 2023 Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 341 residents, almost the same as the 342 of 2011 (a fall of just 0.3%). The estimated average age is 45.3, slightly below the 46.3 of the province of Como, and households average 2.21 people. Foreign residents make up 2.3%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are a minor concern here. All 147 municipalities in the province of Como are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class on the Civil Protection scale, and the expected acceleration in Bene Lario is about 0.040 g.

On the steep valley sides, landslides and surface runoff need checking house by house. The report looks at the official maps for the address and finds the land parcel with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Val Menaggio, on the road between Lake Como and Lake Lugano.
  • 341 residents in 2023, almost unchanged since 2011.
  • Average age 45.3, below the province of Como.
  • All 147 municipalities in Como province in seismic zone 4.

Overview

Bene Lario is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 341 residents, ranked 131 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bene Lario is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 147 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.040 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 45 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bene Lario declared an average taxable income of 17,285 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bene Lario is in climate zone E, with 2,605 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 377 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.6% of the land in Bene Lario, compared with 12.3% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bene Lario 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 Bene Lario.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Bene Lario: 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 Bene Lario 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 Bene Lario. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 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 013021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.