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Montescheno: 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 Montescheno

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 Cresti 1, Montescheno.

Montescheno, the mouth of the Antrona valley above the Ossola

At the start of the Antrona valley, on the slope facing the Ossola plain, Montescheno is a municipality of hamlets scattered across the slope, with chestnut woods, meadows and stone houses with slab roofs. Villadossola and Domodossola are a few kilometres away, with work, schools, hospital and the Simplon railway line.

People who choose Montescheno usually want the mountains within easy reach of town: you drive up a road of hairpin bends, and daily life leans on the valley floor. The village has a few basic services. Homes range from mountain huts and rural buildings to restore to renovated family houses, and declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 369 residents in 2023, 10.9% fewer than the 414 of 2011. The estimated average age is 52.7, against 49.0 for the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and over-65s make up 32.5%. Foreign residents are 7.3%.

For earthquakes Montescheno is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, together with 27 other municipalities in the province, while 46 are in zone 4; expected ground acceleration is about 0.076 g. With a stone building to restore, the renovation project is the right moment to strengthen walls and roof.

On the slopes of an Alpine valley, the official landslide and debris-flow maps matter, and the report reads them at the exact address. Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published and the address leads to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Hamlets at the mouth of the Antrona valley, above the Ossola.
  • 369 residents in 2023, down 10.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.076 g.
  • Stone buildings: renovation is the moment to strengthen them.

Overview

Montescheno is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 369 residents, ranked 58 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montescheno 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 0.076 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 10.9%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (49). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montescheno declared an average taxable income of 19,775 euros, below the provincial average (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montescheno is in climate zone E, with 2,970 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 512 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montescheno has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets.

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

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 Montescheno, 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

Montescheno 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 Montescheno.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Montescheno: 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 Montescheno 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 12 inhabited census areas in Montescheno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 103047. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.