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Gornate Olona: 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 Gornate Olona

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 Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour 1, Gornate Olona.

Gornate Olona, the Olona valley and Torba monastery

Gornate Olona lies in the Olona valley, south of Varese, on a stretch where the river runs between woods and hills. Within its boundaries is the monastery of Torba, founded in the Lombard era, now run by FAI (the Italian National Trust) and part of the Unesco site of the Lombards in Italy together with the nearby archaeological park of Castelseprio. It draws visitors, but the village itself stays quiet and residential.

You will need a car: the public transport timetables we use show no stops in the municipality. Varese, Tradate and the Saronno area are the places for work and services, and Milan can be reached by car or by train from nearby towns. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,179 residents, down 2.2% on 2011. The average age is 46.0, in line with 46.5 for the province, and 21.7% of residents are over 65, fewer than the provincial average. Foreign nationals are few, at 3.0%.

The village mixes higher parts on the hills with lower areas towards the valley floor, with houses and villas from different periods. If you are looking at a property near the valley floor, check the Olona flood hazard maps carefully; the report reads them for the exact address. On the slopes, ground stability matters more.

Earthquake risk is minimal: all 136 municipalities in the province of Varese are in zone 4, with expected ground acceleration here of about 0.038 g. Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available and the report finds the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Olona valley, south of Varese.
  • Torba monastery, a Unesco site, is in the municipality.
  • 2,179 residents in 2023, 3.0% foreign nationals.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province.

Overview

Gornate Olona is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,179 residents, ranked 92 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gornate Olona 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 0.038 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 2.2%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gornate Olona declared an average taxable income of 29,058 euros, above the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gornate Olona is in climate zone E, with 2,562 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 303 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gornate Olona has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 23.2% of the land in Gornate Olona, 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

Gornate Olona 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 open contaminated sites in Gornate Olona; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gornate Olona: 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 Gornate Olona 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 15 inhabited census areas in Gornate Olona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.8%
  • fair 95.2%

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 012080. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.