Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Gargnano: 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 Gargnano

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 della Liberta' 1, Gargnano.

Gargnano, lemon houses and harbours on Lake Garda's west shore

On the western shore of Lake Garda, where the mountains drop almost straight into the water, Gargnano strings together small harbours, villas and the terraces of old limonaie, the stone lemon houses of the lake. The municipality runs from the shore up to the hill villages behind, inside the Alto Garda Bresciano park, and sailors know it for the Centomiglia, the regatta held in its waters every year.

The lake shapes the property market. A large share of homes are second homes, owned by Italians and foreigners, and very little comes up for sale on the waterfront. Higher up, in the hill hamlets, you find stone houses with views and rural buildings to restore, on narrow, steep roads. The Gardesana, the road along the shore, links Gargnano to Salò and Riva del Garda. The data show no public transport stops in the municipality, so a car is still needed.

Year-round residents are an older community. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,668 residents (2023), down 12.0% since 2011, with an average age of 51.3 against 45.4 in the province and over-65s at 33.2%. Foreign residents make up 9.9%.

Earthquakes on Garda should be taken into account. Gargnano is in seismic zone 2, like 51 other municipalities in the province of Brescia, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.157 g. For a villa or a historic house, ask what work has been done on load-bearing walls and roofs.

Between the lake and steep slopes, the report checks the official landslide and flood maps at the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published and links the address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • West shore of Lake Garda, lemon houses and small harbours
  • Many second homes, little for sale on the waterfront
  • Over-65s at 33.2%, average age 51.3
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.157 g

Overview

Gargnano is a municipality in the province of Brescia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,668 residents, ranked 121 of 205 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gargnano 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 0.157 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Gargnano, 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 12.0%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (45). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gargnano declared an average taxable income of 23,585 euros, below the provincial average (26,155 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gargnano is in climate zone E, with 2,120 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 98 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gargnano has 5 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 1.9 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 Gargnano.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.7% of the land in Gargnano, compared with 10.5% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gargnano 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 Gargnano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gargnano: 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 Gargnano 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 40 inhabited census areas in Gargnano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 93.2%
  • good 6.8%

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

ISTAT code 017076. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.