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Porto Ceresio: 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 Porto Ceresio

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 Roma 1, Porto Ceresio.

Porto Ceresio, on Lake Lugano at the Swiss border

Porto Ceresio looks out over the Italian arm of Lake Lugano, known locally as the Ceresio. The village sits between the water and wooded hills, with the Swiss canton of Ticino a few minutes away: across the lake you are already looking at Switzerland.

The border shapes daily life. Many people in the area work in Ticino as cross-border commuters, and that is often why buyers choose this spot. Porto Ceresio is also the end of the railway line from Varese: the data list 1 stop served by 1 line, and the train links the village with the provincial capital and from there with Milan. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Varese.

Housing comes in two kinds. Along the lakefront and in the old village there are older buildings, often with a view of the water; on the slopes behind are newer villas and small blocks of flats, reached by steep roads. For plots close to the shore it is worth checking the maps of areas the lake can flood, and for those on the hillside the gradient: the report does both for the address.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,860 residents (2023), down 4.7% since 2011. The population is older than average, with a mean age of 48.2 against 46.5 in the province and over-65s at 27.5%. Earthquake risk is low: all 136 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration is 0.039 g.

Key points

  • On Lake Lugano, minutes from Ticino
  • End of the railway line from Varese
  • 2,860 residents, average age 48.2
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.039 g

Overview

Porto Ceresio is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,860 residents, ranked 79 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Porto Ceresio 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 fallen by 4.7%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 8.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Porto Ceresio declared an average taxable income of 19,055 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Porto Ceresio is in climate zone E, with 2,512 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 280 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Porto Ceresio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 train line. That is about 0.3 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 12.7% of the land in Porto Ceresio, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Porto Ceresio is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia 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 open contaminated sites in Porto Ceresio; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Porto Ceresio: 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 Porto Ceresio 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 21 inhabited census areas in Porto Ceresio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 59.4%
  • good 40.6%

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

ISTAT code 012113. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.