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Desio: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Monza e della Brianza, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Desio

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 Giuseppe Garibaldi 1, Desio.

Desio, Pope Pius XI's home town on the Valassina road

Desio is where Achille Ratti was born, the man who became Pope Pius XI, and the house where he was born still stands in the centre. The town lies in central Brianza, between Monza and Seregno, along the Valassina main road that runs from Milan up to Lecco, in an area where one town merges into the next without a break. The park of Villa Tittoni is the main green space; otherwise most of the land is built up.

Desio station is on the Milan-Monza-Como line. The published timetables show 4 train lines and 1 bus line, and this is the main reason people who work in Milan look for a home here. The market offers 1960s and 1970s apartment blocks near the centre, newer low-rise blocks and detached houses in the outer districts, next to the workshops and warehouses typical of Brianza. For properties near the expressway, it is worth judging the noise, ideally with a visit at rush hour.

There are 41,570 residents (2023), up 2.9% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and the average age of 45.5 is slightly lower than the provincial one. Foreign residents make up 10.5%. Average declared incomes are below those of the province of Monza and Brianza, one of the wealthiest in the country.

Earthquakes are not a major issue here. Desio is in seismic zone 3, like 39 other municipalities in Brianza, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.049 g. What matters more is the condition of the building, its energy rating and any major works already planned, which you can find in the minutes of residents' meetings before making an offer. For the address, the report adds the official flood maps and the walking distance to the station.

Key points

  • Station on the Milan-Monza-Como line with 4 train lines.
  • 41,570 residents, up 2.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.049 g.
  • Birthplace of Pius XI, with the park of Villa Tittoni.

Overview

Desio is a municipality in the province of Monza e della Brianza, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 41,570 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 55).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Desio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 55) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.049 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 2.9%. 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 10.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Desio declared an average taxable income of 27,310 euros, below the provincial average (29,649 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Desio is in climate zone E, with 2,447 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 196 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Desio has 22 schools and 12 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 18 grocery shops and supermarkets, 20 healthcare facilities, 30 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 4 train lines, 1 bus line. That is about 0.0 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 50.9% of the land in Desio, compared with 40.9% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Desio 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Desio, and 20 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Desio: 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 Desio 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 381 inhabited census areas in Desio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 7.7%
  • good 73.2%
  • very good 19.1%

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 108023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.