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Cosio Valtellino: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cosio Valtellino

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 Nazionale 1, Cosio Valtellino.

Cosio Valtellino, lower Valtellina next to Morbegno

In lower Valtellina, where the Adda flows along a broad, flat valley floor before reaching Lake Como, Cosio Valtellino borders Morbegno and relies on it for shops, secondary schools and services. The municipality combines hamlets on the valley floor with clusters of houses on the slopes, such as Sacco at the mouth of the Val Gerola, known for a house with a fresco of the Homo Selvadego, the wild man of Alpine folklore.

Transport links are better than in many other villages in the valley. The public transport data list 1 stop and 2 lines, including the train that runs from Tirano down to Lecco and Milan. The main Stelvio road follows the valley floor. The climate zone is F, the one with the longest winters, so heating is a real part of household costs.

Unlike many mountain villages in the province, Cosio is growing. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,541 residents in 2023, up 2.6% on 2011, placing it number 6 in the province of Sondrio by population. The average age is 46.1, a little below the provincial 46.8; foreign residents make up 7.1%, and declared incomes are above the provincial average. The data list 5 school sites and 5 supermarkets, while cafés and restaurants are few because people use those in Morbegno.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 63 others in Valtellina, with low expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In the stone houses on the hillsides, focus on the roof, insulation and damp in walls built against the slope.

Geography matters more than earthquakes. On the valley floor near the Adda and its side streams, check for flood-prone areas; on the slopes, for landslides and debris flows. The report checks the official maps at the address and uses the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps to identify the plot.

Key points

  • Adda valley floor and slopes, bordering Morbegno.
  • 5,541 residents, up 2.6% since 2011.
  • 1 stop and 2 lines, including the train to Lecco and Milan.
  • Seismic zone 3; the river, streams and slopes matter more.

Overview

Cosio Valtellino is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,541 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 77).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cosio Valtellino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 77) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a low 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 grown by 2.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 7.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cosio Valtellino declared an average taxable income of 24,934 euros, in line with the province (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cosio Valtellino is in climate zone F, with 3,013 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 231 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cosio Valtellino has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets and 6 sports facilities.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 bus line, 1 train line. That is about 0.2 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 9.8% of the land in Cosio Valtellino, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Cosio Valtellino 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 Cosio Valtellino.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cosio Valtellino: 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 Cosio Valtellino 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 43 inhabited census areas in Cosio Valtellino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.7%
  • fair 56.5%
  • good 42.8%

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 014024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.