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Brienno: 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 Brienno

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 Regina 1, Brienno.

Brienno, houses squeezed between Lake Como and the mountain

On the western shore of Lake Como, between Laglio and Argegno, Brienno occupies a thin strip of land between the water and the hillside. The houses of the old centre are packed together and run down to the lake, linked by steps and narrow passages, while above the village the mountain rises steep and wooded. The Strada Regina, the lakeside main road, connects it with Como in one direction and the central lake in the other.

Buying in Brienno means dealing with limited space. Parking, car access, getting materials in for building work and damp in houses close to the water are the first things to clarify. Many homes are second homes. For plots on the shore and on the slope, the report checks the official landslide and flood maps at the address.

There were 317 residents in 2023, against 402 in 2011: a fall of 21.1%, according to Istat, Italy's national statistics office. The estimated average age is 50.4, above the provincial 46.3, and over-65s make up 27.4%. Foreign residents account for 8.5%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk is low across the area: all 147 municipalities in the province of Como are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection Department's national scale, and expected ground acceleration here is about 0.040 g. In old lakeside houses, the condition of walls built against the slope and of the floors matters far more.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report identifies the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Western shore of Lake Como, between Laglio and Argegno.
  • 317 residents in 2023, down 21.1% since 2011.
  • All 147 municipalities in the province of Como in seismic zone 4.
  • Tight spaces: check parking, access and damp.

Overview

Brienno is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 317 residents, among the smallest in the province (132 of 147).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Brienno 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 resident population has fallen by 21.1%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 8.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Brienno declared an average taxable income of 25,101 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Brienno is in climate zone E, with 2,358 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 203 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Brienno has 1 sports facility.

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 Brienno.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 1.6% of the land in Brienno, 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

Brienno 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 low. 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 Brienno.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Brienno: 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 Brienno 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 4 inhabited census areas in Brienno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.1%
  • fair 97.9%

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 013030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.