Fagnano Olona: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Varese, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Fagnano Olona
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 Dante Alighieri 1, Fagnano Olona.
Fagnano Olona, on the Olona valley near Busto Arsizio
Fagnano Olona sits on the edge of the Olona valley in the southern part of the province of Varese, a few kilometres from Busto Arsizio and from the border with the Milan area. Like the rest of the Olona valley it has a long textile history, and today it is densely built with houses, roads and industrial areas: the share of built-up or paved land is very high even by Lombard standards.
There is no railway station in the town. For Milan, people catch the train at Busto Arsizio, Castellanza or Gallarate, or take the A8 motorway, which runs close by; Malpensa airport is also a short drive away. Some homes stand on the terrace above the valley and some lower down, nearer the river, and for a buyer the difference matters.
The population is growing. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 12,471 residents in 2023, up 2.7% on 2011, and the average age of 45.1 is below the provincial figure of 46.5. Over-65s make up 22.5% against 24.7% in the province, and foreign nationals 5.8%. For a town of this size there are plenty of sports facilities, 20 in the records, and a fair amount of green space.
Seismic risk is low. All 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in zone 4, the lowest class in the Civil Protection classification, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.038 g. In a house from the 1960s or 1970s, insulation, heating and wiring and the state of the roof matter more.
The thing to watch is the Olona, a river that has broken its banks several times along the valley. Houses on the valley floor and near the irrigation channels should be checked address by address on the official flood maps, which the report consults after locating the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- No station in town: trains from Busto Arsizio, Castellanza or Gallarate.
- Residents up 2.7% since 2011, average age 45.1.
- Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Varese.
- Homes on the Olona valley floor: check flood hazard.
Overview
Fagnano Olona is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 12,471 residents, ranked 15 of 136 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fagnano Olona 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 0.038 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 grown by 2.7%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fagnano Olona declared an average taxable income of 26,975 euros, in line with the province (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Fagnano Olona is in climate zone E, with 2,915 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 265 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fagnano Olona has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 20 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.
There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Fagnano Olona.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 42.4% of the land in Fagnano Olona, 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
Fagnano Olona 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Fagnano Olona, and 7 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 Fagnano Olona: 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 Fagnano Olona 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 44 inhabited census areas in Fagnano Olona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.2%
- fair 44.0%
- good 55.8%
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
- 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 012067. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.