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Varzi: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Varzi

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: Frazione Pietragavina 1, Varzi.

Varzi, the Staffora valley town and its salami

Varzi is the main town of the Staffora valley, in the hilly southern part of the Oltrepò Pavese, where vineyards give way to the woods and ridges of the Apennines. The town, at around 415 metres, has a medieval centre with arcaded streets and towers, and its name is tied to Salame di Varzi, a cured sausage with protected designation of origin status.

For the valley, Varzi is the hub: it has the shops, schools and services that the smaller villages around it lack. For the hospital, work and trains, people drive down the valley road to Voghera. Buyers find houses in the old town, often on several floors, villas on the edges and country houses in the hamlets, many of them second homes for people who live on the plain or in the city.

The population is elderly and shrinking: 3,030 residents in 2023, 11.0% fewer than in 2011, with a mean age of 52.2 against 47.1 for the province and over-65s at 34.8%. Foreign residents are 13.0%. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Pavia; 2 pharmacies are listed in the town.

Municipalities in the province of Pavia are in seismic zone 3 or 4 of the Civil Protection classification, and Varzi is in zone 3, with 156 others. The expected ground acceleration in the town is 0.098 g. In old stone houses, ask about work on the roof and floors and check the walls for damp. Along the Staffora and on the slopes, the report shows the official flood and landslide maps for the address; the Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • Hub of the Staffora valley, arcaded medieval centre.
  • Valley services in town; hospital and trains in Voghera.
  • 3,030 residents, over-65s at 34.8%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.098 g.

Overview

Varzi is a municipality in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,030 residents, ranked 40 of 184 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Varzi is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (157 of 184) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.098 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 11.0%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 13.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Varzi declared an average taxable income of 23,515 euros, below the provincial average (26,290 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Varzi is in climate zone E, with 2,903 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 416 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Varzi has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.

There are 3.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

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

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 5.8% of the land in Varzi, compared with 9.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Varzi 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 Varzi. 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 Varzi: 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 Varzi 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 64 inhabited census areas in Varzi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 57.4%
  • good 42.6%

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 018171. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.