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Macugnaga: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Macugnaga

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: Centro Abitato Pecetto 1, Macugnaga.

Macugnaga, below the east face of Monte Rosa

At the head of the Anzasca valley, facing the east face of Monte Rosa, Macugnaga is a mountain and tourist village, with the town hall above 1,300 metres and its hamlets strung along the valley floor. Its origins are Walser, the German-speaking people who settled the high valleys around Monte Rosa, and their wood-and-stone houses remain. There is also an old gold mine within its boundaries, now open to visitors.

The property market is shaped by second homes. Many flats are used for skiing in winter and for climbing and walking in summer, so buyers should look at service charges, the state of roofs and systems after months shut up, and the building rules. For anyone planning to live here all year, access in snow and heating matter most: the climate zone is F.

Permanent residents numbered 505 in 2023, 16.0% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The mean age is 53.4, against 49.0 for the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, over-65s make up 35.6% and households have 1.77 members on average. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Macugnaga is in seismic zone 3, like 28 of the 74 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.085 g. High in the mountains, other natural hazards weigh more: landslides, debris flows and avalanches should be checked on the official maps for the exact location of the house.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published, and the report traces the address to the land parcel, reading the official maps available for that spot.

Key points

  • Head of the Anzasca valley, facing the east face of Monte Rosa.
  • Many second homes: read the service charges and building rules.
  • 505 residents in 2023, over-65s at 35.6%.
  • Seismic zone 3: at altitude, landslides and debris flows matter.

Overview

Macugnaga is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 505 residents, ranked 48 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Macugnaga is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 28 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.085 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 16.0%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (49). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Macugnaga declared an average taxable income of 20,370 euros, below the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Macugnaga is in climate zone F, with 4,030 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,327 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.3 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 0.5% of the land in Macugnaga, compared with 2.8% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Macugnaga is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Piemonte 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Macugnaga. 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 Macugnaga: 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 Macugnaga 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 25 inhabited census areas in Macugnaga. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 56.3%
  • good 25.7%
  • very good 18.1%

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 103039. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.