Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Ispra: 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 Ispra

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 Varese 8, Ispra.

Ispra, Lake Maggiore and the European research centre

Outside Italy, the name Ispra usually brings to mind the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), which has one of its main sites here. The town lies on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, between Angera and Laveno, and the research centre takes up a large fenced area behind it, where scientists and technicians from many countries work.

That presence shows in the housing market. Alongside local families there is an international community looking for flats and villas, often to rent and for a few years, and foreign residents make up 14.4% of the population. Not every area is the same: homes near the shore or with a lake view are a market of their own, while further inland you find detached houses and newer blocks of flats. Varese is about twenty kilometres away and Milan Malpensa airport is not far.

The lakeside still has a small harbour, beaches and the old lime kilns, a reminder of an industry that lasted a long time on this stretch of shore. The services data show 5 supermarkets, 0.95 per 1,000 residents against 0.39 in the province, and 7 sports facilities.

In 2023 Ispra had 5,269 residents, up 1.8% on 2011. The average age is 46.9, against 46.5 for the province of Varese, over-65s make up 25.1% and households average 2.15 people. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are not a concern: all 136 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the national classification set by the Civil Protection Department, and in Ispra the expected ground acceleration is about 0.039 g. For a lakeside house the water level matters more, as in some years it rises over the lowest parts of the shore. The report checks the official flood maps for the address, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here.

Key points

  • Home to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
  • Foreign residents at 14.4%, with an international community.
  • All 136 municipalities in the province: seismic zone 4.
  • Lakeside homes: check lake flood maps for the address.

Overview

Ispra is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,269 residents, ranked 44 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ispra 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 grown by 1.8%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 14.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ispra declared an average taxable income of 25,629 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ispra is in climate zone E, with 2,454 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 220 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ispra has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 bus line. That is about 0.2 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 15.3% of the land in Ispra, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ispra 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 Ispra; 4 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ispra: 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 Ispra 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 38 inhabited census areas in Ispra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 14.9%
  • fair 50.7%
  • good 34.4%

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 012084. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.