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Varna: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Varna

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 Brennero 1, Varna.

Varna, Novacella Abbey and the Brixen basin

Varna (Vahrn in German) borders Brixen (Bressanone) to the north and in many ways works as an extension of it. The village lies in the Eisack valley (Valle Isarco), where the valley floor opens into a basin of vineyards and orchards. Novacella Abbey, an Augustinian monastery with its own winery, is inside the municipality, and higher up there are farmsteads and hamlets spread across the slopes. German is the main language, as in most of the valley.

For buyers, the tie with Brixen matters most: secondary schools, the hospital, shops and many jobs are there, a few minutes away. The open public transport timetables list 60 bus stops in the municipality, served by 12 lines, and the report works out the distance from the address to the nearest one. Between the valley floor and the higher hamlets, hours of sunshine and winter travel times into town vary a great deal.

The population is growing: 5,047 residents in 2023, 794 more than in 2011, an increase of 18.7%. The average age is 41.3 (the provincial figure is 43.4), residents over 65 make up 16.8% and households have 2.34 members on average. Foreign nationals account for 10.4%, according to Istat, the national statistics office. Average declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is low. Varna is in zone 4, like the other 115 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.049 g. Winters are long and cold (climate zone F), so in older houses insulation, windows and the heating system deserve the closest look.

South Tyrol records property in the Land Register (Libro fondiario), the tavolare system inherited from Austria, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) does not publish parcel maps for the province of Bolzano. The report starts from the address and explains how the land register works here. On the steep slopes above the village, landslides and debris flows are worth checking, and the report does this at the exact spot.

Key points

  • Borders Brixen and includes Novacella Abbey.
  • 5,047 residents, up 18.7% since 2011.
  • 60 bus stops and 12 lines in open timetables.
  • Land register (tavolare) system: no Revenue Agency parcel maps.

Overview

Varna is a municipality in the province of Bolzano/Bozen, in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. At the end of 2023 it had 5,047 residents, ranked 21 of 116 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Varna is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 116 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.049 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 grown by 18.7%. The estimated average age is 41 years, lower than the province average (43). 17% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 22%). Foreign residents make up 10.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Varna declared an average taxable income of 32,160 euros, above the provincial average (28,222 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Varna is in climate zone F, with 3,482 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 671 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Health lists, Varna has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 7 sports facilities.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.2 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 60 public transport stops, served by 12 bus lines. That is about 11.9 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 3.7% of the land in Varna, compared with 2.7% in the province and 2.9% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Varna is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Provincia autonoma di Bolzano in 2026. 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Varna, 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 Varna: 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

For Varna the Revenue Agency does not publish cadastral maps: the land registry here uses the tavolare (land book) system. The report cannot give a parcel reference, but it still checks risks, services and transport at the address and states this clearly.

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 63 inhabited census areas in Varna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 9.1%
  • good 81.4%
  • very good 9.5%

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 021111. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.