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Carlazzo: 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 Carlazzo

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: Localita' Monti di Gottro 1, Carlazzo.

Carlazzo, the valley between Lake Como and Lake Lugano

Carlazzo lies in the valley linking Menaggio, on Lake Como, with Porlezza, on Lake Lugano, a short distance from the Swiss border. The town hall is just under 500 metres up and the territory is split into several hamlets, some on the valley floor along the main road, others higher up among meadows and woods. Many residents here work in Switzerland as cross-border commuters.

The population is growing. Istat, Italy's statistics office, counts 3,215 residents in 2023, up 8.2% on 2011, and the average age of 44.3 is lower than in Como province (46.3). People over 65 are 21.3% and foreign residents 6.1%. Declared incomes come out well below the provincial average, a figure to read with care in border areas.

For buyers, the hamlets offer village houses, detached homes and flats in small blocks, with both lakes a few minutes away. Rush-hour traffic towards the border is something to try for yourself. In a narrow mountain valley, check the gradient and the official ground maps, and near the streams the flood maps. The report checks them for the address.

Earthquakes are not a particular worry. All 147 municipalities in Como province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.040 g. With cold winters in climate zone E, insulation and heating matter more.

Key points

  • Valley between Menaggio and Porlezza, close to Switzerland.
  • 3,215 residents, up 8.2% since 2011.
  • Average age 44.3, province 46.3.
  • All Como municipalities in zone 4, acceleration 0.040 g.

Overview

Carlazzo is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,215 residents, ranked 57 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Carlazzo 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 grown by 8.2%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 6.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Carlazzo declared an average taxable income of 16,532 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Carlazzo is in climate zone E, with 2,753 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 481 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Carlazzo has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

There are 1.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Carlazzo.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 8.5% of the land in Carlazzo, 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

Carlazzo 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 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 no contaminated sites in Carlazzo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Carlazzo: 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 Carlazzo 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 15 inhabited census areas in Carlazzo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 93.5%
  • good 6.5%

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 013047. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.