Novate Milanese: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Milano, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Novate Milanese
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 Baranzate 1, Novate Milanese.
Novate Milanese, Milan's northern edge on the Saronno line
Novate Milanese borders Milan to the north-west, beyond the Quarto Oggiaro district, and has long been an extension of the city in all but name. More than half of the municipal area is built up with homes, roads and industrial sites, and you barely notice where Milan ends.
The link most people use is the Milan to Saronno railway run by Ferrovienord, with a station in town: Milano Bovisa is a few minutes away, and the city centre is a short ride further. Public timetables list 19 stops in the municipality, served by 2 rail lines and 2 bus lines. For anyone who does not drive, that is a real advantage over many towns around Milan, and the report shows how far the nearest stop is from the address.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 20,096 residents in 2023, up 0.8% on 2011. The population is older than the metropolitan average: 27.6% are over 65, against 23.0%, and the average age is 47.6. Foreign residents make up 8.9%, and households are small, 2.17 people on average.
Many apartment blocks date from the growth of Milan's suburbs in the second half of the twentieth century, alongside newer developments. In buildings of that period, look at the energy rating, the service charges (spese condominiali) and any major works already approved by the owners' meeting, which can weigh as much as a difference in price. Shopping is easy: 12 supermarkets, 0.60 per 1,000 residents against 0.32 in the province.
On earthquakes, this is one of the quietest parts of Italy: seismic zone 4, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.046 g. The Revenue Agency publishes cadastral maps for Novate, and the report uses them to go from the address to the plot; flood and other hazards are read for the individual building.
Key points
- Station on the Milan to Saronno line, minutes from Bovisa.
- 19 stops served by 2 rail and 2 bus lines.
- Over-65s at 27.6%, against 23.0% in the province.
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.046 g.
Overview
Novate Milanese is a municipality in the province of Milano, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 20,096 residents, ranked 30 of 133 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Novate Milanese is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (73 of 133) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.046 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 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Novate Milanese declared an average taxable income of 29,617 euros, below the provincial average (33,635 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Novate Milanese is in climate zone E, with 2,404 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 148 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Novate Milanese has 10 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 17 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.3).
Public transport
Within the municipality there are 19 public transport stops, served by 2 bus lines, 2 train lines. That is about 0.9 stops per 1,000 residents.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 59.7% of the land in Novate Milanese, compared with 32.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Novate Milanese 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Novate Milanese, and 14 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 Novate Milanese: 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 Novate Milanese 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 146 inhabited census areas in Novate Milanese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 3.2%
- good 80.2%
- very good 16.6%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): ATM Milano, Comune di Milano - AMAT, orari del trasporto pubblico ATM (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261029.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 015157. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.