Ferrera di Varese: 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 Ferrera di Varese
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 Bertolino 1, Ferrera di Varese.
Ferrera di Varese, a young village in the Varese pre-Alps
The first figure that stands out in Ferrera di Varese is age. The estimated average age here is 42.6, against 46.5 in the province of Varese, and over-65s are 18.1%, well below the provincial 24.7%. In 2023 there were 681 residents, almost as many as in 2011 (down 1.7%), and households average 2.31 people.
The village lies among the woods and valleys of the Varese pre-Alps, north of the provincial capital, at around 300 metres. It is cross-border commuter country: many people from this area work in Switzerland every day as frontalieri, while others head down to Varese and the towns of the province. Either way, the day is organised around the car, and journey times depend heavily on rush-hour traffic and the border crossings.
For a family looking for a home, what counts is the distance to schools and shops, which the report measures from the exact location of the house, and the type of building: the village mixes old houses in the historic core, detached homes and small blocks of flats. Near streams and below slopes, take extra care, because flood and landslide hazard are assessed for the address using the official maps the report checks.
Average declared income is lower than the provincial average. Foreign residents make up 4.1%.
Earthquakes are not a worry: all 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, and expected acceleration is about 0.039 g. In older houses, the energy rating, windows and boiler matter more than the structure.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Ferrera di Varese, and the report links the address to the land parcel and the building.
Key points
- Average age 42.6, against 46.5 in the province.
- Over-65s at 18.1%, below the provincial 24.7%.
- Varese pre-Alps, an area of cross-border commuters to Switzerland.
- Seismic zone 4 in all 136 municipalities of the province.
Overview
Ferrera di Varese is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 681 residents, among the smallest in the province (125 of 136).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ferrera di Varese 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 43 years, lower than the province average (46). 18% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ferrera di Varese declared an average taxable income of 21,658 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Ferrera di Varese is in climate zone E, with 2,569 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 299 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ferrera di Varese has 1 school. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.
The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Ferrera di Varese.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 15.7% of the land in Ferrera di Varese, 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
Ferrera di Varese is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 Ferrera di Varese.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ferrera di Varese: 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 Ferrera di Varese 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 4 inhabited census areas in Ferrera di Varese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 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
- 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 012069. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.