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Garzeno: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Garzeno

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 Sant'Iorio 1, Garzeno.

Garzeno, up a side valley from the top of Lake Como

Leave the shore of the upper lake and a road climbs a side valley to Garzeno, a mountain village among woods and meadows. At over 600 metres, it is in heating zone F: long, cold winters, cool summers, summer pastures all around. The lake, and the services of the lakeside villages, are reached by driving back down the valley road.

The population has fallen sharply: in 2023 there were 659 residents, 193 fewer than the 852 of 2011, a drop of 22.7%. The average age is 54.0, against 46.3 in the province of Como, and over-65s are 37.0% of residents, compared with 24.1%. Foreign residents are 2.9%. Average declared income is well below the provincial figure.

For buyers, Garzeno mainly offers stone houses, often family properties, and a few rural buildings scattered outside the village. In the mountains, start with the things that cost money: the roof, insulation, heating and utility connections. For rural buildings outside the village, check the access road, whether you can reach it in winter and whether any extensions were properly authorised.

Earthquake hazard is low: Garzeno is in seismic zone 4, like all 147 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.040 g. The terrain is steep, though, and gradient and landslide hazard should be read for the exact address: the report uses the official maps rather than averages for the municipality.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Garzeno's cadastral maps, so the report traces the land parcel from the address. If you are weighing up a purchase from afar, it also measures how far the pharmacy, shops and schools are.

Key points

  • Mountain village in a side valley above the top of Lake Como.
  • 659 residents, down 22.7% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 37.0%, against 24.1% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.040 g.

Overview

Garzeno is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 659 residents, ranked 118 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Garzeno is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 147 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.040 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 22.7%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (46). 37% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Garzeno declared an average taxable income of 18,139 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Garzeno is in climate zone F, with 3,010 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 662 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Garzeno has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 1.4% of the land in Garzeno, compared with 12.3% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Garzeno 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 no contaminated sites in Garzeno.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Garzeno: 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 Garzeno 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 Garzeno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 22.5%
  • good 77.5%

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 013106. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.