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Carate Urio: 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 Carate Urio

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 2, Carate Urio.

Carate Urio, villas and houses on the western shore of Lake Como

Between water and mountain, on the western shore of the Como arm of the lake, Carate Urio occupies a narrow strip of coast crossed by the old Strada Regina road. The municipality joins two villages, Carate and Urio, with old houses clustered near the water, villas with gardens and landing stages, and newer homes on terraces climbing steeply towards the woods.

The lake explains much of the market. Alongside residents there are many second homes, and demand focuses on views, access to the water and parking, which on this shore is often the real problem. Buyers should look at the access road, the steps, the slope of the land and the state of retaining walls. The report reads the official landslide and flood maps for the address, useful both near the lake and along the streams coming down the slopes.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,117 residents in 2023, down 8.1% on 2011. The estimated average age is 49.9 against 46.3 for the province, over-65s make up 27.7% and households are small, at 1.95 people on average. Foreign residents account for 7.3%. Declared incomes are well above the average for the province of Como.

Earthquake hazard is low: all 147 municipalities in the province are in zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection Department's classification, and expected ground acceleration in Carate Urio is about 0.041 g. In villas and old houses, damp, roofs and facade upkeep weigh more.

Como is the reference for work, schools and hospital care. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report links the address to its plot. Winters are those of climate zone E.

Key points

  • Western shore of Lake Como, along the Strada Regina.
  • Incomes above the provincial average; over-65s at 27.7%.
  • All 147 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Check slope, retaining walls and parking.

Overview

Carate Urio is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,117 residents, ranked 99 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Carate Urio 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 0.041 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 8.1%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Carate Urio declared an average taxable income of 32,565 euros, above the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Carate Urio is in climate zone E, with 2,233 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 204 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Carate Urio has 1 pharmacy.

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 Carate Urio.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 4.6% of the land in Carate Urio, 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

Carate Urio 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 Carate Urio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Carate Urio: 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 Carate Urio 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 8 inhabited census areas in Carate Urio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 52 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.5%
  • fair 99.5%

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 013044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.