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Gorla Minore: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gorla Minore

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 Ambrogio Colombo 1, Gorla Minore.

Gorla Minore, the Olona valley and the Collegio Rotondi

Gorla Minore sits in the Olona valley, in the southern part of the province of Varese, close to Busto Arsizio, Castellanza and Saronno. For more than a century this valley lived off spinning and weaving mills, built along the river to use its water. Many factories have closed, and today the town is mostly residential, home to people who work in nearby towns or towards Milan.

Gorla Minore is known for the Collegio Rotondi, a long-established school that draws pupils from the whole area. Partly for that reason, Overture Maps data record 9 places of education here, 1.11 per 1,000 residents against 0.83 across the province, along with a good number of sports facilities. House hunters will find the upper town, on the terrace above the valley, and the valley floor with its old industrial sites, some redeveloped and others still waiting. The official timetables show no railway stops in the municipality; stations are in neighbouring towns.

In 2023 Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 8,132 residents, 3.2% fewer than the 8,398 of 2011. The average age is 46.5, the same as in the province of Varese, and over-65s make up 24.2%. Foreign residents account for 6.1%. Average incomes are in line with the province.

Earthquakes are not a major concern here: all 136 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.039 g. In a former industrial valley other things matter more: the age of the wiring, insulation and, if you are buying next to an old factory, the history of the site.

The cadastral maps are published and the report finds the plot from the address. The Olona has burst its banks at various points in the valley in the past, so for homes closest to the river, flood hazard should be checked for the specific address.

Key points

  • Olona valley, between Busto Arsizio, Castellanza and Saronno.
  • 9 places of education, above the provincial average per resident.
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest, across the whole province.
  • Near the Olona, check flood hazard address by address.

Overview

Gorla Minore is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 8,132 residents, ranked 27 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gorla Minore 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 3.2%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 6.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gorla Minore declared an average taxable income of 26,489 euros, in line with the province (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gorla Minore is in climate zone E, with 2,876 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 237 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gorla Minore has 9 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 3 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 Gorla Minore.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 39.8% of the land in Gorla Minore, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gorla Minore 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Gorla Minore, and one more has 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 Gorla Minore: 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 Gorla Minore 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 23 inhabited census areas in Gorla Minore. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 3.9%
  • good 96.1%

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 012079. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.