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Besano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Besano

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 Volpi Ippolito 1, Besano.

Besano, Monte San Giorgio fossils and the Swiss border

Besano is a village in the Valceresio, the valley running from the Varese area down towards Lake Lugano and the Swiss border. It sits on the slopes of Monte San Giorgio, known worldwide for its Triassic marine fossils: the Italian side of the mountain, including Besano, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Swiss side. The village has a small museum devoted to the finds.

Its position explains Besano's character: many residents work in the canton of Ticino as cross-border commuters (frontalieri), while others look to Varese. Most homes are detached houses and small blocks on sloping ground, with a few older clusters. In climate zone E winters are cold and wet, so buyers should look at sun exposure and damp in walls set against the hillside.

In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,511 residents, down 3.5% since 2011. The average age is 45.5, below 46.5 for the province of Varese, with 23.4% over 65 and 4.3% foreign nationals. Incomes declared in Italy are well below the provincial average.

The open public transport timetables show no stops in the municipality, so you will need a car, or at least to check which lines serve nearby villages.

Seismic hazard is the lowest: Besano is in zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification, like 135 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.039 g. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published and the report reaches the land parcel; on the slopes, the official landslide maps are read address by address.

Key points

  • Valceresio, at the foot of Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO site
  • Many residents commute to work in Switzerland
  • 2,511 residents, down 3.5% since 2011
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest

Overview

Besano is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,511 residents, ranked 86 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Besano is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 136 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 3.5%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Besano declared an average taxable income of 19,471 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Besano is in climate zone E, with 2,608 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 350 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Besano has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 healthcare facilities.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 17.5% of the land in Besano, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Besano is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 Besano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Besano: 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 Besano 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 12 inhabited census areas in Besano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 2.6%
  • good 97.4%

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 012011. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.