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Olgiate Olona: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Olgiate Olona

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 Piave 1, Olgiate Olona.

Olgiate Olona, above the Olona valley next to Busto Arsizio

The boundary between Olgiate Olona and Busto Arsizio is just another street, and the same goes for Castellanza and Marnate. This is the south of the province of Varese, one of the most built-up parts of Lombardy, where most of the municipality is covered by houses, roads, industrial buildings and yards. The town sits on a terrace of the plain overlooking the valley of the Olona, the river along which the area's spinning mills and textile factories grew up.

Location is its strength. The A8 motorway to the lakes has a junction at Castellanza close by, Malpensa airport is near, and Milan is reachable by car or train. There is no station in the town itself (0 stops in Trenord's regional rail data), so people use the ones in Castellanza and Busto Arsizio. Buyers mostly find detached and semi-detached houses and blocks of flats from the last fifty years, often next to small businesses.

There were 12,751 residents at the end of 2023, up 4.4% since 2011. The population is slightly younger than the province's, with 23.5% over 65 against 24.7%, and foreign residents make up 5.7%. Average declared incomes are above the provincial figure. Supermarkets and green spaces are more plentiful than average per resident.

Seismic hazard is among the lowest in Italy. All 136 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection map, and expected ground acceleration here is 0.039 g. For a house a few decades old, the energy rating, roof and services matter more.

Height is what really makes the difference. Homes on the terrace are well away from the river, while those down in the valley sit close to the Olona, which has burst its banks in the past. The report checks the official flood maps for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report finds the land parcel.

Key points

  • Continuous with Busto Arsizio; A8 junction nearby.
  • Population up 4.4% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Varese.
  • Olona valley floor: check flood hazard.

Overview

Olgiate Olona is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 12,751 residents, among the most populous in the province (14 of 136).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Olgiate Olona is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 136 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.039 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 resident population has grown by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Olgiate Olona declared an average taxable income of 30,611 euros, above the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Olgiate Olona is in climate zone E, with 2,879 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 239 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Olgiate Olona has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 12 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 54.0% of the land in Olgiate Olona, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Olgiate Olona 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 open contaminated sites in Olgiate Olona; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Olgiate Olona: 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 Olgiate Olona 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 29 inhabited census areas in Olgiate Olona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 11.6%
  • good 88.4%

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 012108. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.