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Montecrestese: 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 Montecrestese

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: Frazione Altoggio 1, Montecrestese.

Montecrestese, hamlets on the slope above Domodossola

Montecrestese is made up of many hamlets scattered over the side of the Ossola valley, just north of Domodossola, among chestnut woods, terraced meadows and stone houses with slab roofs. The Toce valley floor lies just below, and Domodossola, with its station on the Simplon line, the hospital and secondary schools, is a few minutes away.

This layout changes the house hunt a great deal. A hamlet near the main road is convenient all year; one higher up gets more sun and views, but narrow access and snow to deal with in winter. Traditional stone houses often need work on the roof, floors and systems, and that cost should be worked out before making an offer.

The population is stable: 1,258 residents in 2023, up 0.2% on the 1,255 of 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.2 (49.0 in the province), over-65s are 29.1% and foreign residents 3.2%. Declared incomes are a little below the average for Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Seismically, Montecrestese is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification together with 27 other municipalities, while the remaining 46 are in zone 4. The expected acceleration is 0.079 g, a low value.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the plot from the address. On an alpine slope it is worth reading the official landslide and stream flood maps carefully too, and the report checks them for each address.

Key points

  • Hamlets scattered over the slope just north of Domodossola.
  • 1,258 residents, up 0.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.079 g.
  • Over-65s at 29.1%, average age 49.2.

Overview

Montecrestese is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,258 residents, ranked 27 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montecrestese 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 0.079 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montecrestese declared an average taxable income of 21,421 euros, below the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montecrestese is in climate zone E, with 2,936 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 486 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 0.8 pharmacies 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 1.0% of the land in Montecrestese, 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

Montecrestese is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte 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 Montecrestese.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Montecrestese: 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 Montecrestese 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 30 inhabited census areas in Montecrestese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 39.0%
  • good 58.9%

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 103046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.