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Cantello: 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 Cantello

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 Antonio Turconi 2, Cantello.

Cantello, white asparagus, the Gaggiolo and the Swiss railway

Cantello is the last Italian municipality before the Swiss canton of Ticino on the road from Varese to Mendrisio: the Gaggiolo border crossing is within its boundaries. The town lies in the hills east of Varese, at around 400 metres, among woods and fields where white asparagus is grown, the product Cantello is known for and celebrates with a festival every spring.

Since 2018 Cantello has been on the Arcisate to Stabio railway, which links Varese to Switzerland. The municipality has 1 station served by 2 regional train lines, useful if you work in Ticino or travel to Varese and Milan. Many residents are cross-border commuters whose pay is taxed largely in Switzerland, which is one reason declared incomes in Italy are below the provincial average.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 4,783 residents in 2023, up 4.7% since 2011. The average age is 46.2, in line with the province, and 23.9% are over 65. Services on record include 5 schools, 1.05 per 1,000 residents against 0.83 in the province.

Earthquake risk is minimal. All 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection Department classification, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.039 g. The climate matters more: zone E, with cold, damp winters, so check insulation and heating carefully in houses built before the 1990s.

The land is rolling, with wooded valleys and small streams. The report checks slope, landslides and flood-prone areas at the address, works out the distance to the station and finds the plot using the Revenue Agency cadastre.

Key points

  • Hills east of Varese, with the Gaggiolo crossing into Ticino.
  • 1 station with 2 regional train lines.
  • 4,783 residents, up 4.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Varese.

Overview

Cantello is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,783 residents, ranked 53 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cantello 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 grown by 4.7%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cantello declared an average taxable income of 22,920 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cantello is in climate zone E, with 2,702 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 404 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cantello has 5 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 2 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.

There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 2 train lines. That is about 0.2 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 18.7% of the land in Cantello, 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

Cantello 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 no contaminated sites in Cantello.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cantello: 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 Cantello 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 21 inhabited census areas in Cantello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 15.4%
  • good 84.6%

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 012030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.