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Bresso: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Bresso

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 Vittorio Veneto 1, Bresso.

Bresso, Parco Nord and the border with Niguarda

Among the towns in Milan's inner ring, Bresso is one of the smallest by area and one of the most densely built. To the south it borders the Milan district of Niguarda, and almost all its open land lies within Parco Nord Milano, which also contains a small airfield for light aircraft.

There is no metro and no railway station within the municipality. The timetable data show 35 stops served by 4 bus lines, which connect with Milan's metro stations. Niguarda hospital, one of the largest in Lombardy, is a few minutes away.

Bresso has 26,282 residents (2023), 2.2% more than in 2011. It is an older town: 26.8% of residents are over 65 against 23.0% in the metropolitan city, and the estimated average age is 47.3. Foreign nationals make up 15.3%. Declared incomes remain below the metropolitan average.

Housing is mostly apartment blocks from the years when the Milan hinterland grew fastest, with medium-sized flats. For buyers, what counts is the state of the building, any major works the owners' meeting has already approved, the communal heating system and the energy rating. Flats overlooking Parco Nord are a different proposition from those on the main through roads.

Seismic hazard is low: Bresso is in zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.049 g. The Seveso river runs close by, and its floods have repeatedly hit the north of Milan. The report checks the official maps for the address and uses the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps to find the land parcel.

Key points

  • Small, densely built town right next to Niguarda.
  • Parco Nord, no metro: 4 bus lines.
  • 26.8% of residents over 65, against 23.0% metro-wide.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.049 g.

Overview

Bresso is a municipality in the province of Milano, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 26,282 residents, ranked 21 of 133 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bresso is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 60 of 133 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.049 g, a low 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 grown by 2.2%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (46). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 15.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bresso declared an average taxable income of 28,283 euros, below the provincial average (33,635 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bresso is in climate zone E, with 2,404 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 142 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Bresso has 9 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 19 healthcare facilities, 18 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 35 public transport stops, served by 4 bus lines. That is about 1.3 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 60.1% of the land in Bresso, compared with 32.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bresso 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Bresso, and 13 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 Bresso: 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 Bresso 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 106 inhabited census areas in Bresso. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 1.4%
  • good 98.6%

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 015032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.