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Menaggio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Menaggio

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 Luigi Cadorna 1, Menaggio.

Menaggio, on the western shore of Lake Como

Menaggio faces Bellagio and Varenna from the western shore of Lake Como, linked to both by ferry. It is also where the road climbs towards Porlezza and Lake Lugano, and on into Switzerland. The town has lived from tourism for a long time, with hotels, a lakefront promenade and a compact old centre between the harbour and the hillside.

The housing market reflects this. Alongside year-round residents there are many second homes and flats let to visitors, and buyers find very different options: apartments in the centre close to the water, villas on the slopes, houses in the higher hamlets that are quieter but reached by narrow roads. Near the lake and the streams coming down from the mountains, it is worth reading the flood maps the report checks for the address, and the landslide maps for homes on the slopes.

There were 3,027 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 4.9% since 2011. The population is older than the provincial average: an average age of 48.4 against 46.3, with over-65s at 28.2%. Foreign nationals make up 9.4%. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Como.

Earthquake risk is low: zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.041 g. In period houses near the lake, damp, the state of the roof and the systems count for more, along with the rules on listed buildings if the property is historic.

Key points

  • Western shore of Lake Como, facing Bellagio.
  • Many second homes and holiday lets.
  • Average age 48.4, over-65s at 28.2%.
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest.

Overview

Menaggio is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,027 residents, ranked 63 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Menaggio is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 147 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.041 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 4.9%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Menaggio declared an average taxable income of 24,779 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Menaggio is in climate zone E, with 2,222 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 203 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Menaggio has 6 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 2.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 9.4% of the land in Menaggio, compared with 12.3% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Menaggio is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia 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 Menaggio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Menaggio: 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 Menaggio 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 17 inhabited census areas in Menaggio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 44.0%
  • good 55.9%

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 013145. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.