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Quarna Sotto: 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 Sotto

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 Nonio 1, Quarna Sotto.

Quarna Sotto, high above Omegna and Lake Orta

From Omegna, at the northern tip of Lake Orta, a road of hairpin bends climbs to Quarna Sotto, which sits at about 800 metres on a slope facing the lake. The village has long been tied to the making of wind instruments, a craft told in the local museum. For schools, work and shopping people go down to Omegna and the towns around the lake.

At this altitude winter matters. The area is in climate zone F, the band with the longest cold season, so anyone considering a house here should see it in January too: whether the road is cleared of snow, how much sun it gets, how thick the walls are and what heating costs will all change the final sum. Many houses are built into the hillside, with terraces and retaining walls worth checking.

There were 377 residents in 2023, down 10.2% from 420 in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. Over-65s make up 31.6%, against 28.3% for the province, and households average 1.94 people. Declared incomes are in line with the rest of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

For earthquakes, the village is in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 45 other municipalities in the province. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.048 g, a low value: the questions to ask concern the roof, insulation and the state of the wiring and heating.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available, and the report traces the address back to the land parcel. On the slopes, landslide hazard is checked plot by plot on the official maps, together with the elevation and gradient of the ground.

Key points

  • Village at about 800 metres above Omegna and Lake Orta.
  • 377 residents in 2023, over-65s at 31.6%.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.048 g.
  • Climate zone F: see the house in winter as well.

Overview

Quarna Sotto is a municipality in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 377 residents, ranked 57 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Quarna Sotto 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 0.048 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 10.2%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Quarna Sotto declared an average taxable income of 22,929 euros, in line with the province (23,146 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Quarna Sotto is in climate zone F, with 3,347 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 802 metres above sea level.

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 1.7% of the land in Quarna Sotto, 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 Sotto 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 Sotto.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Quarna Sotto: 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 Sotto 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 13 inhabited census areas in Quarna Sotto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 16.7%
  • good 83.3%

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 103059. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.