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Meina: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Meina

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 Sempione 1, Meina.

Meina, villas and a station on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore

On the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, between Arona and Lesa, Meina stretches out between the water and wooded hills. The Simplon road runs along the shore, the railway to Domodossola has a stop in the village, and behind the lakefront the houses climb inland. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries several villas with parks were built here, and they still shape the look of the shoreline.

The property market reflects this setting. There are flats and houses with lake views, historic villas, detached houses on the hills and simpler village homes. For anyone working in Milan or the Varese area, train and motorway make commuting possible, and Malpensa airport can be reached by car. On slopes, access, parking and retaining walls matter; near the water, damp.

The population is elderly. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,355 residents in 2023, down 7.9% since 2011, with an average age of 50.3 against 46.7 for the province of Novara and over-65s at 29.0%. Foreign residents make up 8.7%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Earthquake risk is among the lowest in Italy: all 87 municipalities in the province are in zone 4, and in Meina the expected ground acceleration is 0.040 g. In villas and period houses, the roof, façades and systems deserve more attention.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report starts from the address, identifies the land parcel and checks the official flood maps for the lake and streams and the landslide maps for the slopes.

Key points

  • Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, between Arona and Lesa.
  • Station on the railway to Domodossola.
  • Average age 50.3, over-65s 29.0%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.040 g.

Overview

Meina is a municipality in the province of Novara, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 2,355 residents, ranked 29 of 87 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Meina is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.040 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 7.9%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 8.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Meina declared an average taxable income of 29,815 euros, above the provincial average (26,949 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Meina is in climate zone E, with 2,583 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 214 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Meina has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.7 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

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 12.3% of the land in Meina, compared with 11.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Meina is not among the radon priority areas designated 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 no contaminated sites in Meina.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Meina: 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 Meina 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 31 inhabited census areas in Meina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 6.9%
  • fair 71.5%
  • good 21.6%

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

ISTAT code 003095. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.