Malcesine: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Verona, Veneto. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Gardesana 1, Malcesine.
Malcesine, a castle on Lake Garda and the Baldo cable car
On the Verona shore of Lake Garda, in the upper part where the lake narrows between mountains, Malcesine is squeezed between the water and the cliffs of Monte Baldo. The old village gathers around the Scaliger Castle above the lake, and the cable car climbs from the town up to the Baldo ridge. The Gardesana Orientale road runs along the shore and is the only real link: Verona is some way off, and in summer traffic slows everything down.
The economy runs on tourism, with hotels, campsites, holiday flats and restaurants: the services data show 28.13 food and drink outlets per 1,000 residents, against 5.43 across the province of Verona. Buyers are dealing with a market that includes many second homes and holiday lets. Flats in the old centre come with narrow lanes and little parking, while houses on the slopes gain views but lose easy access. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.
According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 3,590 residents in 2023, 2.6% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 47.8 against 45.6 in the province, over-65s make up 26.1% and foreign residents 12.3%, a high share for a small municipality.
The Baldo and upper Garda area has seismic activity that should not be underestimated: Malcesine is in zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, along with 54 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.153 g. Before buying in a historic building, ask whether any structural work has been carried out.
The Baldo slopes are steep and rocky: the report checks the landslide and rockfall maps at the address, and on the shore the lake flooding maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report reaches the land parcel.
Key points
- Verona shore of upper Lake Garda, below Monte Baldo.
- 28.13 food outlets per 1,000 residents: a tourist market.
- Foreign residents 12.3%, over-65s 26.1%.
- Seismic zone 2; landslides and rockfall to check on the slopes.
Overview
Malcesine is a municipality in the province of Verona, in Veneto. At the end of 2023 it had 3,590 residents, ranked 59 of 98 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Malcesine is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (55 of 98) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.153 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Malcesine, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 2.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 12.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Malcesine declared an average taxable income of 23,654 euros, below the provincial average (25,520 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Malcesine is in climate zone E, with 2,131 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 89 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Malcesine has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 14 sports facilities.
There are 1.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).
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 3.0% of the land in Malcesine, compared with 13.4% in the province and 11.9% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Malcesine is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Veneto in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. 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 Malcesine; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Malcesine: 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 Malcesine 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 40 inhabited census areas in Malcesine. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 2.6%
- fair 69.7%
- good 27.6%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Veneto, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 023045. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.