Samarate: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Varese, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Leonardo da Vinci 2, Samarate.
Samarate, between Busto Arsizio, Gallarate and Malpensa
Samarate is made up of several centres, Samarate itself, Verghera, San Macario and Cascina Costa, which have grown across the upper plain of the Varese area until they almost touch. The municipality lies between Busto Arsizio, Gallarate and Malpensa airport and has a long industrial history: helicopters have been built at Cascina Costa for decades.
Being close to Malpensa is the first thing to weigh up. The airport brings jobs and connections, but some areas are affected by aircraft noise, which varies a lot from one street to the next, so visit the house at different times of day and look into the flight paths. The public transport timetables show no railway stops in the municipality; the nearest stations are in Gallarate and Busto Arsizio.
At the end of 2023 there were 16,104 residents, almost the same as in 2011 (down 0.4%, according to Istat, the national statistics office). The estimated average age is 46.8, close to the province of Varese (46.5), with over-65s at 25.5% and foreign residents at 7.9%. By population it ranks number 10 in the province, and incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
Recorded services are thinner than average, especially sports facilities (3) and healthcare, at 0.37 sites per 1,000 residents against 0.70 in the province. For many things people go to Gallarate or Busto, a few minutes away. Housing is mostly detached houses with gardens and small blocks of flats, with a few old courtyard buildings in the historic centres.
Seismic risk is low: the whole province of Varese is in zone 4, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.038 g. The report checks flood hazard for the exact address, finds the plot on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and measures distances to services from the house itself.
Key points
- Several centres between Busto Arsizio, Gallarate and Malpensa.
- Aircraft noise: check it street by street.
- Almost unchanged since 2011, foreign residents 7.9%.
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.038 g.
Overview
Samarate is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 16,104 residents, among the most populous in the province (10 of 136).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Samarate 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 0.038 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 7.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Samarate declared an average taxable income of 25,826 euros, below the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Samarate is in climate zone E, with 2,854 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 221 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Samarate has 10 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Samarate.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 30.0% of the land in Samarate, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.0 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Samarate 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 Samarate; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Samarate: 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 Samarate 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 42 inhabited census areas in Samarate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.6%
- fair 52.0%
- good 47.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 012118. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.