Cannero Riviera: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Cannero Riviera
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 Roma 1, Cannero Riviera.
Cannero Riviera, lake, lemons and castles on the rocks
On the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, in its upper reaches, Cannero Riviera runs down from the mountain to the water in a narrow strip of terraces, gardens and houses facing the lake. Offshore, on two small rocky islands, stand the ruins of the Castelli di Cannero. The climate is milder than the latitude suggests, so much so that lemons and other citrus fruit grow in the village.
It has been a holiday village for generations, and a share of the homes are second homes or summer lets. If you come to live here year-round you will find a quiet place out of season, with basic services and the lake ferries; for the hospital, public offices and secondary schools you go to Verbania. The Swiss border is not far, and some residents of the area work in Switzerland. Houses are stone and masonry, often on several levels to follow the slope, with steps and pedestrian access.
In 2023 there were 916 residents, 5.9% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 51.5 against 49.0 in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, over-65s make up 30.7% and foreign residents 9.8%. Households are small, 1.88 people on average.
Earthquake risk is low: Cannero is in seismic zone 4 under the Civil Protection classification, with 45 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration is 0.043 g. Damp, the upkeep of retaining walls and the state of the roof matter more.
Two checks depend on the exact location: for houses on the shore, the lake level when it is in flood; for those on the hillside, the official landslide maps. The report reads both for the individual address, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here.
Key points
- Village on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore.
- Mild climate, citrus trees and second homes facing the lake.
- Population down 5.9% since 2011, over-65s at 30.7%.
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.043 g.
Overview
Cannero Riviera is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 916 residents, ranked 34 of 74 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cannero Riviera is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 74) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.043 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 5.9%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 9.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cannero Riviera declared an average taxable income of 16,633 euros, below the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cannero Riviera is in climate zone E, with 2,597 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 225 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cannero Riviera has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 green area.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.6% of the land in Cannero Riviera, compared with 2.8% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Cannero Riviera is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Cannero Riviera, and one more has 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 Cannero Riviera: 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 Cannero Riviera 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 27 inhabited census areas in Cannero Riviera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.3%
- fair 66.9%
- good 32.7%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Piemonte, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Piemonte, Anagrafe regionale dei siti contaminati (ASCO). Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 9 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 103016. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.