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Gardone Riviera: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gardone Riviera

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: Corso Giuseppe Zanardelli 1, Gardone Riviera.

Gardone Riviera, the Vittoriale on the Brescia shore of Garda

The Vittoriale degli Italiani, the hillside complex that the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio had built above the town, brings visitors to Gardone Riviera from all over Italy. The municipality lies on the western shore of Lake Garda, in the province of Brescia, between the lake and the hills rising inland, with its centre on the lakefront, the hamlet of Fasano and quieter residential areas higher up. The André Heller botanical garden is another of its sights.

It has been a resort since the late nineteenth century, and it shows: historic villas, hotels, parks and holiday homes. Buyers here are often looking for a second home or a flat with a lake view, and the market ranges from high-end properties to simpler flats on the hillside. The Gardesana Occidentale road links Salò and Brescia in one direction and the northern end of the lake in the other; summer traffic is heavy.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,617 residents in 2023, down 3.5% on 2011. The average age is 49.6, well above the 45.4 of the province, and 28.4% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents make up 11.0%. Declared incomes are clearly above the provincial average.

Gardone Riviera is in seismic zone 2, with an expected acceleration of 0.158 g. For period villas and historic buildings, ask whether structural work has been done and under which permits, not least because many buildings are protected by heritage rules.

Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published. Between the lakefront and the steep slopes behind it the ground changes a great deal, and the report reads gradient and official maps for the address.

Key points

  • Brescia shore of Lake Garda, below the Vittoriale
  • Historic villas, second homes and lake views
  • Average age 49.6 against 45.4 for the province
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.158 g

Overview

Gardone Riviera is a municipality in the province of Brescia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,617 residents, ranked 124 of 205 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gardone Riviera is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 52 of 205 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.158 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Gardone Riviera, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 3.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (45). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 11.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gardone Riviera declared an average taxable income of 31,750 euros, above the provincial average (26,155 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gardone Riviera is in climate zone E, with 2,355 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 120 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gardone Riviera has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.5 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Gardone Riviera.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 4.3% of the land in Gardone Riviera, compared with 10.5% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gardone Riviera 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 no contaminated sites in Gardone Riviera.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gardone Riviera: 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 Gardone Riviera 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 32 inhabited census areas in Gardone Riviera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.9%
  • fair 73.7%
  • good 25.3%

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 017074. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.