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Saltrio: 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 Saltrio

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 Clivio 1, Saltrio.

Saltrio, a quarry town on the Swiss border

The border with the Swiss canton of Ticino runs right past the houses: Saltrio is a village in the Valceresio, in the far north of the province of Varese, at around 540 metres among woods and small valleys. Its name is tied to Saltrio stone, quarried locally for centuries.

For buyers, being next to Switzerland is a practical factor: many people in the area work across the border and commute daily through the nearby crossings. Varese is a short drive away, and people look to the provincial capital for larger services. Homes are mostly family houses, detached houses and small blocks, with a few old stone houses in the historic core. The land has slopes and areas near old quarry sites: the report measures elevation and slope at the address and checks the official landslide maps.

According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 2,994 residents in 2023, almost unchanged since 2011 (down 0.6%). The average age of 46.8 is in line with the province (46.5); over-65s are 25.4% and foreign nationals 4.1%. Incomes declared in Italy are well below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk is the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, zone 4, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.039 g. The useful checks lie elsewhere: damp in houses built against the slope, the state of the roof and heating performance in climate zone E winters.

Key points

  • Valceresio, on the border with Ticino.
  • Home of Saltrio stone, with old quarry areas.
  • 2,994 residents, almost unchanged since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.039 g.

Overview

Saltrio is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,994 residents, ranked 77 of 136 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Saltrio 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Saltrio declared an average taxable income of 17,888 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Saltrio is in climate zone E, with 2,796 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 543 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Saltrio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 sports facilities.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 25.7% of the land in Saltrio, 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

Saltrio is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area 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 contaminated sites in Saltrio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Saltrio: 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 Saltrio 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 15 inhabited census areas in Saltrio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 21.5%
  • good 78.5%

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 012117. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.