Solbiate Arno: 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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Search for an address in Solbiate Arno
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 Enrico Pagani 2, Solbiate Arno.
Solbiate Arno, in the Arno valley between Varese and Gallarate
The stream that gives Solbiate Arno its name is the Lombard Arno, a small watercourse flowing down towards Gallarate through one of the most built-up parts of the Varese area. The town lies in this valley, halfway between Varese and Gallarate, within an almost continuous spread of houses, workshops and industrial buildings that links one municipality to the next.
Location is what counts for buyers: Varese, Gallarate, Busto Arsizio and Malpensa airport can be reached by car without long journeys, and Milan is within commuting range. Much of the municipal area is covered by buildings and roads, so there is little real green space and new houses often replace older buildings. Average declared incomes are above the average for the province of Varese.
At the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 4,010 residents, down 6.2% on 2011. Solbiate Arno ranks 61 by population among the 136 municipalities of the province. Average age (46.4) and the share of over-65s (24.3%) are practically the provincial figures; foreign residents make up 5.5%.
Earthquakes are not a major concern here. Every municipality in the province is in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.038 g. In a block of flats from the 1960s or 1970s, the energy rating, the state of the facades and roof, and the service charges matter more, especially as climate zone E means heating on for many months.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report finds the plot from the address. Along the Arno and in the lowest parts of the valley, where water has little room between the houses, flood hazard should be checked for the individual address.
Key points
- In the valley of the Arno stream, between Varese and Gallarate.
- 4,010 residents in 2023, down 6.2% since 2011.
- Incomes above the average for the province of Varese.
- Seismic zone 4: energy rating and building upkeep matter more.
Overview
Solbiate Arno is a municipality in the province of Varese, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,010 residents, ranked 61 of 136 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Solbiate Arno 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 resident population has fallen by 6.2%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Solbiate Arno declared an average taxable income of 29,097 euros, above the provincial average (27,186 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Solbiate Arno is in climate zone E, with 2,593 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 325 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Solbiate Arno has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 3 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Solbiate Arno.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 51.5% of the land in Solbiate Arno, 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
Solbiate Arno 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Solbiate Arno, and one more has 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 Solbiate Arno: 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 Solbiate Arno 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 11 inhabited census areas in Solbiate Arno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 2.2%
- good 97.8%
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 14 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 012121. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.