Cuasso al Monte: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Cuasso al Monte
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 Casa Mora 1, Cuasso al Monte.
Cuasso al Monte, Piambello woods above Lake Lugano
Cuasso al Monte covers a territory of woods and small hamlets in the north of the province of Varese, on the slopes of Monte Piambello between the Valceresio and Lake Lugano. The municipality is spread out: besides the main village there are hamlets such as Cuasso al Piano, lower down, and several clusters among the trees. The Swiss border is close, and for many residents the working day starts on the other side of customs, in the canton of Ticino.
Buyers here are mostly after space and greenery. Homes are detached houses with gardens, old village houses and stone cottages among the chestnut trees, often on sloping plots. Roads are narrow, and in winter climate zone E makes itself felt, with damp and cold in north-facing houses. Open public transport data show no stops in the municipality, so a car is essential. Basic services include 4 school sites, 1.13 per 1,000 residents against 0.83 in the province, and 2 pharmacies.
According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 3,544 residents in 2023, down 1.7% since 2011. The average age is 45.3, below the provincial 46.5, and over-65s make up 21.4%. Foreign residents account for 4.9%. Average declared incomes are much lower than the provincial average; in border towns the figure is incomplete, because part of the income of people working in Switzerland does not appear on Italian tax returns.
Earthquakes are not a significant concern. All 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection Department scale (the national emergency agency), and the expected acceleration is about 0.039 g.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report reaches the plot from the address. On the wooded slopes and along the streams running down to the lake, landslides and flash floods should be checked at the exact spot.
Key points
- Woods and hamlets on Monte Piambello, close to Switzerland.
- 3,544 residents in 2023, down 1.7% since 2011.
- All 136 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
- 4 school sites, above the provincial rate per resident.
Overview
Cuasso al Monte is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,544 residents, ranked 70 of 136 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cuasso al Monte 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 1.7%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cuasso al Monte declared an average taxable income of 20,811 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cuasso al Monte is in climate zone E, with 2,778 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 530 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cuasso al Monte has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Cuasso al Monte.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 6.3% of the land in Cuasso al Monte, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Cuasso al Monte 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 Cuasso al Monte.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cuasso al Monte: 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 Cuasso al Monte 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 23 inhabited census areas in Cuasso al Monte. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 3.4%
- good 96.6%
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 15 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 012058. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.