Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Brescia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Brescia

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 Milano 1, Brescia.

Among Lombardy's provincial capitals, Brescia is second only to Milano (Milan) in size, with 198,259 residents at the end of 2023, 4.4% more than in 2011. Founded by the Romans, it still has the Capitolium temple and the Santa Giulia monastery in its centre, both part of the UNESCO site dedicated to the Longobards in Italy. The city lies where the Val Trompia valley opens onto the plain, at the foot of the Prealps between Lake Iseo and Lake Garda, and has been a centre of metalworking and engineering for centuries.

Brescia holds 15.7% of the population of a province of 205 municipalities. The estimated average age is 46.2, and 24.7% of residents are over 65, more than in the wider province (22.8%). The share of foreign nationals is high at 18.9%, and households average 2 people.

Unlike Milano and Bergamo, Brescia is in seismic zone 2, the second-highest of Italy's four hazard classes, together with 52 municipalities in its province; the other 153 are in zone 3. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.148 g, far higher than the estimate for Milano. For buyers, the age of a building and the rules it was designed to really matter: ask whether the structure was calculated under the 2008 seismic building standards or has been strengthened since.

The services data show 257 healthcare facilities, well above the provincial rate per head, 181 schools and 1,101 bars and restaurants. Trenord's open timetables list 3 rail stops in the municipality, served by 10 train lines. Cadastral maps are published, so the report can identify the sheet and parcel numbers from the address. Landslide hazard on the hillsides and flood hazard on the plain both depend on the exact spot: the report checks them for the address and gives prices as a range for the zone.

Key points

  • 198,259 residents: Lombardy's second-largest provincial capital after Milano.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.148 g.
  • 18.9% of residents are foreign nationals.
  • Healthcare facilities well above the provincial rate per head.

Overview

Brescia is the capital of the province of Brescia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 198,259 residents, the most populous municipality in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Brescia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 52 of 205 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.148 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Brescia, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 18.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Brescia declared an average taxable income of 29,197 euros, above the provincial average (26,155 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Brescia is in climate zone E, with 2,410 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 149 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Brescia has 181 schools and 58 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 76 grocery shops and supermarkets, 257 healthcare facilities, 196 sports facilities and 51 parks and green areas.

There are 1.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 3 public transport stops, served by 10 train lines, 1 bus line. That is about 0.0 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 44.3% of the land in Brescia, compared with 10.5% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Brescia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia 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 19 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Brescia, and 42 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 Brescia: 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 Brescia 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 1,791 inhabited census areas in Brescia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 12.6%
  • good 72.1%
  • very good 15.0%

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 017029. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.