Casto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Brescia, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Malpaga 1, Casto.
Casto, mountain hamlets in the middle Valle Sabbia
Casto is a municipality in the middle Valle Sabbia, in the province of Brescia, made up of a main village on the valley floor and a handful of hamlets higher up the slopes. It is a landscape of woods, meadows and small workshops and factories, with Lake Idro further north and Brescia to the south, reached by car along the valley road.
Buyers mostly find stone buildings in the old hamlet centres, often needing work, and newer houses nearer the valley floor. The higher hamlets get more sun and more peace, but also narrow roads, long winters (climate zone E) and services that require a car. With a mountain house to renovate, check the roof, the heating and electrics, and the utility connections before making an offer.
Istat, the national statistics office, counts 1,638 residents in 2023, down 12.1% from 1,864 in 2011. The average age is 45.8, close to the provincial 45.4. Foreign residents make up 10.7%, and households average 2.50 people.
Casto is in seismic zone 3, like 152 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.143 g in the built-up area. Eastern Brescia has had earthquakes in the past, so with an older building it is worth asking whether the structure has been checked or strengthened.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report works back from the address to the land parcel. In a mountain valley, landslide and flood exposure depend heavily on the exact spot, hillside or streamside, and the report reads the official maps for that location.
Key points
- Middle Valle Sabbia, main village below and hamlets on the slopes.
- Residents down 12.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration of 0.143 g.
- Stone houses needing work in the old hamlet centres.
Overview
Casto is a municipality in the province of Brescia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,638 residents, ranked 154 of 205 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Casto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (153 of 205) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.143 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 12.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 10.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Casto declared an average taxable income of 25,202 euros, in line with the province (26,155 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Casto is in climate zone E, with 2,804 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 416 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Casto 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
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Casto.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 3.6% of the land in Casto, compared with 10.5% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Casto is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 Casto.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Casto: 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 Casto 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 16 inhabited census areas in Casto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- 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 Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 14 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 017044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.