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Castro: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Bergamo, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castro

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 Rocca 1, Castro.

Castro, on Lake Iseo next to Lovere

Castro is a small municipality on the Bergamo shore of Lake Iseo, at the northern end of the lake, right next to Lovere. The village occupies a strip of land between the water and steep rock faces, crossed by the lakeside road that leads to Lovere one way and to Riva di Solto and the lower lake the other. Bergamo is about an hour's drive.

The population is older than the province's. In 2023 there were 1,207 residents, 12.7% fewer than in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office; the average age is 50.1 against 45.2 in the province of Bergamo and over-65s are 30.7%, against 22.5% provincially. Foreign residents make up 7.8%. Declared incomes are below the Bergamo average.

With little flat land available, homes are squeezed between lake and mountain: small blocks and flats near the shore, older houses in the core, a few villas on the slope. The lake view is the main asset; check parking, road noise, damp in rooms backing onto the rock and winter access to the higher houses. The climate zone is E.

The seismic picture across the province is uniform: all 243 municipalities in Bergamo province are in seismic zone 3 of the national classification. In Castro the expected ground acceleration is 0.112 g; with an older building it is worth having the structure checked.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address. Between steep rock faces and the lake shore, landslides and flooding are checked on the official maps for each house.

Key points

  • Bergamo shore of Lake Iseo, next to Lovere.
  • Over-65s at 30.7%, against 22.5% in the province.
  • All 243 municipalities in Bergamo province in seismic zone 3.
  • Homes between lake and rock: check parking, noise and damp.

Overview

Castro is a municipality in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,207 residents, ranked 172 of 243 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castro is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 243 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.112 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 12.7%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (45). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castro declared an average taxable income of 24,881 euros, below the provincial average (26,939 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castro is in climate zone E, with 2,354 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 200 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castro has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 13.6% of the land in Castro, compared with 12.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castro 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 Castro.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castro: 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 Castro 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 5 inhabited census areas in Castro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 47.0%
  • good 53.0%

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

ISTAT code 016065. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.