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Novara: 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 Novara

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: Corso Risorgimento 1, Novara.

Novara is the last Piedmontese provincial capital before Lombardy. The Ticino river, which marks the regional border, runs a short way to the east, and Milano (Milan) is roughly 50 kilometres away. Of Roman origin, the city is recognisable from afar by the tall dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, designed by Alessandro Antonelli, the architect behind Torino's Mole. Rice fields spread across the surrounding plain, and the city's position between two regional capitals has made it a rail and logistics junction.

With 102,187 residents at the end of 2023, Novara is just past the 100,000 mark and holds 28.1% of the provincial population. The number of residents has barely moved since 2011 (+0.2%). The estimated average age is 46.3, and 24.7% of residents are over 65, below the Piedmont figure of 26.6%. Foreign nationals make up 15.3% of the population, and the typical household has about 2.1 people.

Not a single municipality in the province is outside seismic zone 4: all 87, Novara included, are in the lowest of Italy's four hazard classes, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.037 g. Earthquakes are not the first thing to weigh when choosing a home here.

Relative to its population, the city has more schools than the provincial average (82) and noticeably more healthcare facilities: 106, or 1.04 per 1,000 residents compared with 0.52 across the province. The official register lists 31 pharmacies. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report can identify the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from an address. Irrigation canals and the nearby Ticino mean flood exposure varies from one spot to another, so the report checks it at the precise address, together with landslide hazard and local price ranges.

Key points

  • 102,187 residents, almost unchanged since 2011 (+0.2%).
  • All 87 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4.
  • Healthcare facilities: 1.04 per 1,000 residents against 0.65 provincially.
  • Sheet and parcel numbers found from the address.

Overview

Novara is the capital of the province of Novara, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 102,187 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 28% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Novara 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 0.037 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 15.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Novara declared an average taxable income of 28,536 euros, above the provincial average (26,949 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Novara is in climate zone E, with 2,463 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 159 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Novara has 82 schools and 31 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 50 grocery shops and supermarkets, 106 healthcare facilities, 88 sports facilities and 16 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 21.2% of the land in Novara, compared with 11.2% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 13.3 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Novara 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 26 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Novara, and 50 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Novara: 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 Novara 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 965 inhabited census areas in Novara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 9.2%
  • good 64.6%
  • very good 26.0%

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 003106. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.