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Valsolda: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Valsolda

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 Statale 1, Valsolda.

Valsolda, the Italian shore of Lake Lugano

Valsolda is a municipality of hamlets on the Italian shore of Lake Lugano, known in Italy as the Ceresio, between Porlezza and the Swiss border at Oria. Some settlements sit on the waterfront, such as San Mamete and Oria, and others on terraces and slopes higher up. This is the valley described by Antonio Fogazzaro in his novel "Piccolo mondo antico", and the lake and mountain scenery is much the same: stone houses, flights of steps and terraced gardens.

For those who live here Switzerland is right next door, and Lugano is the nearest city for work and services. In the open public transport timetables the municipality has no railway stops (0), so people mostly get around by car along the lakeside road. Buyers should also think about parking: in many hamlets houses can only be reached on foot.

There were 1,426 residents in 2023, down 13.4% on the 1,647 of 2011. The average age is 48.7, against 46.3 in the province of Como, and over-65s make up 28.8%. Foreign residents account for 6.5%. Incomes declared in Italy are below the provincial average.

There is no variation in earthquake hazard across the province: all 147 municipalities around Como are in seismic zone 4, the lowest on the Civil Protection scale, and expected ground acceleration in Valsolda is 0.039 g. Between lake and mountain, damp, retaining walls and rainwater management matter more.

On the steep slopes the report checks the official landslide maps for the address and, near the shore, the flood maps. Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are available.

Key points

  • Hamlets on the Italian shore of Lake Lugano.
  • Lugano and Switzerland close by, no station in the municipality.
  • All 147 municipalities around Como in seismic zone 4.
  • Residents down 13.4% since 2011.

Overview

Valsolda is a municipality in the province of Como, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,426 residents, ranked 90 of 147 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Valsolda is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 147 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 resident population has fallen by 13.4%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Valsolda declared an average taxable income of 15,307 euros, below the provincial average (26,761 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Valsolda is in climate zone E, with 2,460 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 275 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.0% of the land in Valsolda, compared with 12.3% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Valsolda 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 contaminated sites in Valsolda.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Valsolda: 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 Valsolda 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 Valsolda. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.3%
  • fair 96.7%

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 013234. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.