Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Cavargna: 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 Cavargna

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 Caduti sul Lavoro 1, Cavargna.

Cavargna, above a thousand metres in the Val Cavargna

Above Porlezza and Lake Lugano lies the Val Cavargna, a mountain valley that climbs towards the Swiss border through woods, summer pastures and stone villages. Cavargna is in the upper part, above a thousand metres, its houses gathered on the hillside and meadows rising towards the pastures. In winter the snow and the cold of climate zone F are felt.

For buyers the main issue is distance. Supermarkets, schools, pharmacies and doctors are down the valley towards Porlezza, and Como is a long drive. A house here makes sense for people who want real mountains, as a summer home or for remote working; if you need to commute every day, work out the travel times carefully. In stone houses, check the roof, insulation and heating system.

The population has fallen sharply. In 2023 there were 170 residents, 72 fewer than the 242 of 2011 according to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, a fall of 29.8%. The estimated average age is 50.4, against 46.3 in the province, and over-65s make up 28.8%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Seismic risk is not a concern. All 147 municipalities in the province of Como are in zone 4 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, and the expected ground acceleration here is about 0.039 g. Slopes and mountain streams matter more, and the report checks them on the official landslide and flood maps for the precise address. Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published, and the report traces the land parcel.

Key points

  • Mountain village above a thousand metres, in the Val Cavargna above Porlezza.
  • 170 residents in 2023, down 29.8% since 2011.
  • Average age 50.4; over-65s make up 28.8%.
  • All 147 municipalities around Como in seismic zone 4.

Overview

Cavargna is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 170 residents, among the smallest in the province (145 of 147).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cavargna 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 0.039 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 29.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cavargna declared an average taxable income of 8,360 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cavargna is in climate zone F, with 3,590 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,071 metres above sea level.

Services

In the Overture Maps data, Cavargna has 1 green area.

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 Cavargna.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 1.3% of the land in Cavargna, 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

Cavargna 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 Cavargna.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cavargna: 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 Cavargna 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 6 inhabited census areas in Cavargna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 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

ISTAT code 013062. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.