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Saronno: 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 Saronno

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 Piave 2, Saronno.

Saronno, the Ferrovie Nord hub between Varese and Milan

Closer to Milan than to Varese, Saronno is the railway town of north-western Lombardy. Its station is one of the main hubs of Ferrovie Nord, the regional rail network: trains run from here to Milan, Varese, Como, Novara, Seregno and Malpensa airport. Timetable data show 2 stations in the municipality served by 12 rail lines, a level of service hard to find outside a provincial capital.

The name is also linked to amaretti biscuits and the almond liqueur named after the town, while the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine dei Miracoli holds frescoes by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari. The town is dense, with a centre of pedestrian shopping streets and residential districts all around; the Lura stream runs through it from north to south.

For buyers the station is the reference point. Living a few minutes' walk away changes a commuter's day and prices reflect it, but do check the noise from the tracks and the traffic on the access roads as well.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 38,556 residents (2023); compared with 2011 the fall is 0.1%. The population is older than the province of Varese, with an average age of 47.2 against 46.5 and over-65s at 26.6% against 24.7%. Households are small, 2.12 people on average, and foreign residents make up 11.5%. Incomes are clearly above the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is low: all 136 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection scale, and expected acceleration here is about 0.041 g. Energy rating and the state of the building count for more. Along the Lura, flood hazard is checked for the address; the Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Ferrovie Nord hub: 2 stations and 12 rail lines.
  • Direct trains to Milan, Varese, Como, Novara and Malpensa.
  • Over-65s at 26.6%, incomes above the provincial average.
  • Seismic zone 4, low hazard.

Overview

Saronno is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 38,556 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 136).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Saronno 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 0.041 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. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 11.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Saronno declared an average taxable income of 32,169 euros, above the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Saronno is in climate zone E, with 2,418 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 212 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Saronno has 43 schools and 11 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 20 grocery shops and supermarkets, 50 healthcare facilities, 50 sports facilities and 9 parks and green areas.

There are 1.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 2 public transport stops, served by 12 train lines, 1 bus line. That is about 0.1 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 58.4% of the land in Saronno, compared with 21.1% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Saronno is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Saronno, and 18 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Saronno: 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 Saronno 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 363 inhabited census areas in Saronno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 5.6%
  • good 71.4%
  • very good 22.7%
  • excellent 0.3%

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 012119. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.