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Monte Isola: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Monte Isola

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: Localita' Siviano 1, Monte Isola.

Monte Isola, fishing villages in the middle of Lake Iseo

Monte Isola is the island in the middle of Lake Iseo, a whole municipality surrounded by water, with small villages on the shore and others on the slopes, and the sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola at the top. You get there by ferry from the Brescia shore, with frequent crossings to Sulzano and Sale Marasino. Private cars are almost absent on the island: people get around on foot, by bike, by scooter or on the small local bus.

Buying here is a lifestyle choice before it is a property decision. The peace and the scenery come with different logistics: shopping, building work, removals and materials all arrive by boat, and for any renovation the transport costs need budgeting from the start. Homes are mostly traditional buildings in the villages, on the waterfront or up the slope, often needing updating. Traditional work here is fishing and net-making, and today a lot of tourism.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 1,611 residents in 2023, down 10.7% since 2011. The average age is 49.3, above the 45.4 of the province of Brescia, and over-65s make up 29.4%. Foreign residents are few, at 1.8%.

Monte Isola is in seismic zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.131 g; in the province, 153 municipalities are in zone 3 and 52 in zone 2. In older buildings the roof, the walls and damp matter, and by the lake damp needs a careful check.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report works back from the address to the land parcel. For waterfront houses the report reads the official flood maps, and for those on the slopes gradient and landslides.

Key points

  • Island in Lake Iseo, reached by ferry from the Brescia shore.
  • Hardly any private cars: works and removals come by boat.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration of 0.131 g.
  • Average age of 49.3, above the provincial average.

Overview

Monte Isola is a municipality in the province of Brescia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,611 residents, ranked 156 of 205 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Monte Isola is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (153 of 205) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.131 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 10.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (45). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Monte Isola declared an average taxable income of 21,041 euros, below the provincial average (26,155 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Monte Isola is in climate zone E, with 2,621 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 279 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Monte Isola has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 4.2% of the land in Monte Isola, compared with 10.5% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Monte Isola 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 contaminated sites in Monte Isola.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Monte Isola: 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 Monte Isola 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 13 inhabited census areas in Monte Isola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 82.4%
  • good 17.6%

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 017111. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.