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Quarna Sopra: 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 Quarna Sopra

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 Vallestrona 1, Quarna Sopra.

Quarna Sopra, a balcony over Lake Orta above Omegna

From Omegna, at the northern tip of Lake Orta, a road of hairpin bends climbs to Quarna Sopra at about eight hundred and sixty metres. The village looks down over the lake and the Cusio area, among meadows, woods and stone houses gathered around the church. It is a summer retreat for people from the plain but also a village lived in all year, with a few basic services and Omegna within easy driving distance for work, schools and shopping.

Buyers here come for the view and cool summers. Homes range from stone village houses to detached houses built for holidays, many used as second homes. In climate zone F winter is long, so if you plan to stay through the colder months, look at insulation, windows and the boiler, as well as the road in snow. Average declared incomes are in line with the province, slightly above.

In 2023 Istat, Italy's statistics office, counted 235 residents, 54 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 18.7%. The estimated average age is 52.5, against 49.0 in the province of Verbano Cusio Ossola, and over-65s make up 32.8%. Foreign residents account for 2.6%.

For earthquakes, Quarna Sopra is in zone 4 of the Civil Protection classification, like 46 of the 74 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.047 g. On these slopes the bigger hazard is landslides and rockfall, which the report checks on the official maps for the address, along with the gradient. Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), and the report traces the land parcel from the street address.

Key points

  • Village perched above Lake Orta, uphill from Omegna.
  • 235 residents, down 18.7% since 2011.
  • Average age 52.5; over-65s at 32.8%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.047 g.

Overview

Quarna Sopra is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 235 residents, ranked 65 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Quarna Sopra is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 74) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.047 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 18.7%. 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 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Quarna Sopra declared an average taxable income of 23,597 euros, in line with the province (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Quarna Sopra is in climate zone F, with 3,422 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 860 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Quarna Sopra has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

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 1.4% of the land in Quarna Sopra, 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

Quarna Sopra 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 no contaminated sites in Quarna Sopra.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Quarna Sopra: 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 Quarna Sopra 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 4 inhabited census areas in Quarna Sopra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 2.0%
  • good 98.0%

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 103058. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.