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Samolaco: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Sondrio, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Samolaco

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 Nazionale 682, Samolaco.

Samolaco, the Mera plain in the lower Valchiavenna

Samolaco covers the flat valley floor of the lower Valchiavenna, where the Mera river flows towards Lake Mezzola, between Chiavenna to the north and the top of Lake Como to the south. The municipality is made up of several hamlets spread across the plain and at the foot of the slopes, with meadows, fields and woods climbing towards the mountains on either side of the valley.

The most practical advantage is transport. The Colico-Chiavenna railway has a station in the municipality and the main road runs along the valley, so Chiavenna, Lake Como and, with a change, Lecco and Milan can be reached by train. Buyers find detached houses, old rural buildings and small blocks of flats, at low altitude for the province of Sondrio. Because the plain was shaped by the river, for a plot or house on low ground it is worth checking the official flood maps, which the report reads for the address.

The population is stable: 2,887 residents in 2023, up 0.1% since 2011. The mean age is 45.0, lower than the province (46.8), and 21.9% are over 65. Foreign nationals make up 2.6%, and declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Seismic risk is low: Samolaco is in zone 4, like 12 other municipalities in the Valtellina and Valchiavenna, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.047 g. At the foot of the slopes and along the side streams, the report also checks the official landslide maps.

Key points

  • Mera valley floor between Chiavenna and Lake Mezzola
  • Station on the Colico-Chiavenna railway
  • 2,887 residents, mean age 45.0
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest

Overview

Samolaco is a municipality in the province of Sondrio, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,887 residents, ranked 22 of 77 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Samolaco is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 13 of 77 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.

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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (47). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Samolaco declared an average taxable income of 18,875 euros, below the provincial average (23,822 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Samolaco is in climate zone E, with 2,372 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 213 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Samolaco has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 bus line, 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 4.3% of the land in Samolaco, compared with 2.7% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Samolaco 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 open contaminated sites in Samolaco; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Samolaco: 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 Samolaco 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 28 inhabited census areas in Samolaco. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.2%
  • fair 85.7%
  • good 14.1%

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 014057. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.