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Castellanza: 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 Castellanza

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: Viale Italia 1, Castellanza.

Castellanza, on the Olona between Legnano and Busto Arsizio

Arriving in Castellanza from Legnano or Busto Arsizio, you do not notice the boundary: the three towns grew together along the Olona valley, one of Lombardy's oldest industrial districts. Textiles and chemicals filled the twentieth century here, and the former Cantoni cotton mill on the river now houses the Carlo Cattaneo University, known as LIUC.

Little open land is left, as most of the municipality is built up. The market is that of the neighbouring towns: flats in 1960s and 1970s blocks, villas in residential streets, and a few old industrial buildings converted into homes or offices. The A8 motorway from Milan to the lakes has a junction at Castellanza, handy for Milan and Malpensa airport.

The town is ageing and losing a few residents: 13,899 in 2023, down 2.4% since 2011, with over-65s at 28.6% against 24.7% for the province of Varese. Foreign residents make up 9.6%. The university shows in the 93 bars and restaurants, a lot for a town this size, and average income is above the provincial figure.

The Olona is the thing to watch. The river has burst its banks here several times, and flood-control works have been built upstream over the years. If you are looking at a house in the streets near the river, check the flood maps in the report and ask whether cellars and garages have taken in water before.

As for earthquakes, the whole province of Varese is in zone 4, the lowest level, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.039 g. In converted industrial buildings, check instead for soil clean-up and asbestos.

Key points

  • On the Olona, joined to Legnano and Busto Arsizio.
  • LIUC university in the former Cantoni cotton mill.
  • Over-65s at 28.6%, above the provincial average.
  • Whole province in seismic zone 4.

Overview

Castellanza is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 13,899 residents, among the most populous in the province (13 of 136).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castellanza 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 fallen by 2.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castellanza declared an average taxable income of 28,259 euros, in line with the province (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castellanza is in climate zone E, with 2,847 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 216 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castellanza has 17 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 49.8% of the land in Castellanza, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castellanza 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castellanza, and 17 more have 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 Castellanza: 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 Castellanza 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 57 inhabited census areas in Castellanza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 14.9%
  • good 69.3%
  • very good 15.8%

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 012042. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.