AIReworked with AI
What changed. Warm late-afternoon light and a pale blue sky with a few high clouds in place of the original light and sky. Buildings, shores, boats, trees and framing are those of the original; small distant details are rendered by the model and should not be read as a record.
Source photo: Quarna Sopra Oratorio del Fontegno.jpg · Francoerbi
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nano Banana 2 (Higgsfield) · 6/10/2026
1 h 36 min · 115 km · from Piazza del Duomo, by car
Quarna Sopra
The lake ends · Omegna to the north, Gozzano to the south: the small towns, services on foot
In one sentence
Quarna Sopra is the mountain village above Omegna, the highest of the sixteen places: 242 residents, 844 m up, 554 m above the lake, 96 min from Milan.
Data sheet
By car, without traffic
| From | Drive time | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Milan | 1 h 36 min | 115 |
| Malpensa | 75 min | 75 |
| Linate | 1 h 44 min | 120 |
| Novara | 75 min | 67 |
| Turin | 2 h 01 min | 145 |
| Lugano | 1 h 43 min | 123 |
| Zurich | 4 h 03 min | 264 |
| Basel | 4 h 36 min | 321 |
| Bern | 4 h 17 min | 317 |
| Geneva | 4 h 19 min | 322 |
| Munich | 6 h 17 min | 475 |
OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, without traffic, measured on 6 October 2026. Arrival at the centre of the place.
elevation
844 m554 m above the lake · from 687 m to 895 m around the point
Copernicus DEM (GLO-90) for the point; Terrain Tiles for the surroundings (400 m radius). Ground elevation, not buildings.
Sun on 21 December
7 h 46 min of direct sun, from 08:14 to 15:59 (out of 8 h 28 min of theoretical daylight)
Our own calculation on the terrain (Terrain Tiles): only the mountains count, not buildings or trees.
Train, boat, schools
- Nearest station
- Omegna · 3.1 km
- Nearest pier
- · 3.2 km
- State schools in the municipality
- scuola primaria
- residents
- 242 · ISTAT 1/1/2025
as the crow flies
Landslides and floods (municipality)
- of residents in high or very high landslide hazard areas
- 0.0%
- of residents in medium flood hazard areas
- 0.0%
ISPRA IdroGEO, percentages for the whole municipality (2021 census population), not for the point.
Distances
Quarna Sopra and its neighbours
| Places | Drive time | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Omegna | 15 min | 8.5 |
| Nonio | 16 min | 11.0 |
| Pettenasco | 26 min | 16.8 |
| San Maurizio d'Opaglio | 27 min | 21.0 |
| Armeno | 27 min | 17.0 |
| Legro | 29 min | 20.1 |
| Pella | 29 min | 20.4 |
| Miasino | 30 min | 19.8 |
| Orta San Giulio | 31 min | 20.6 |
| Madonna del Sasso | 31 min | 22.5 |
| Ronco | 33 min | 23.3 |
| Vacciago | 33 min | 21.6 |
| Ameno | 34 min | 22.0 |
| Gozzano | 35 min | 26.4 |
| Bolzano Novarese | 35 min | 27.8 |
OSRM without traffic, measured on 6 October 2026. On the lake the road goes round the water: from one shore to the other the car takes longer than the boat.
How life is
Living in Quarna Sopra
A mountain village with painted walls
Quarna Sopra sits at 844 m, 554 m above the lake and 1.8 km from the shore as the crow flies: the highest point in the atlas. It has 242 residents (ISTAT, 1 January 2025; 2026 estimate: 240). According to Wikipedia the village has a trail of 24 murals, "Quarna paese dipinto". As elsewhere in Cusio, wood turning was the local craft, and the Lakes Tourist District notes several holiday houses of architectural interest.
In neighbouring Quarna Sotto, a separate municipality, the Museum of Folk Culture and Wind Instruments shows more than three hundred instruments, a record of the village's former production.
Services: you go down to Omegna
The municipality has a state primary school; nursery, lower and upper secondary are in Omegna, 15 min by car. For healthcare, Omegna has a first-aid point, not an emergency department; the ASL VCO level-I emergency departments are in Verbania and Domodossola.
The main limit is distance: 96 min from Milan, the highest of the sixteen places, and mountain roads to drive in winter too, at heights where snow and ice have to be reckoned with.
Lots of sun, low hazards
On 21 December our calculation gives 7 h 46 min of direct sun, from 8:14 am to 3:59 pm: over an hour more than Piazza Motta and over two hours more than Omegna below. On 21 June it is 14 h 05 min. The calculation covers terrain only, without buildings or trees.
According to ISPRA, 0.8% of the municipal area has high or very high landslide hazard and 0.3% has flood hazard, but no residents are recorded in either.
The lowest values in the atlas
According to OMI (2nd half of 2025), in the built-up centre (B1) standard homes are valued at €800–1,100/m², villas at €900–1,150/m², economy homes at €500–750/m². In the rural mountain zone R1 standard homes are at €700–1,000/m². Against the 2nd half of 2024 central standard homes rose by 2.7% at the midpoint; villas are flat.
These are the lowest values among the atlas's municipalities: a villa in Quarna Sopra is valued about 60% lower than a villa on Orta's lakefront. They are valuations, not sale prices: ranges estimated by zone and type, on gross floor area and normal condition.
Getting there
By car, without traffic: 96 min (115 km) from Milan's Duomo, 75 min (75 km) from Malpensa T1, 103 min from Lugano. The nearest station is Omegna, 3.1 km away as the crow flies and 15 min by car, on the Novara–Domodossola line; for Milan you change at Novara.
Boats leave from Omegna, from March to October. Nonio is 16 min away, Pettenasco 26.
By car, without traffic · OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, measured on 6 October 2026.
Quotations
What the quotations say in Quarna Sopra
| OMI zone | Type | €/m² | Rent €/m² per month | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 · centro abitato Centrale | Abitazioni civili | 800–1,100 | 2.8–3.6 | +2.7% |
| Abitazioni di tipo economico | 500–750 | 2.0–2.8 | +4.2% | |
| Ville e Villini | 900–1,150 | 2.8–3.8 | 0.0% | |
| R1 · rurale montana Extraurbana | Abitazioni civili | 700–1,000 | 2.2–3.2 | +3.0% |
| Abitazioni di tipo economico | 500–650 | 1.8–2.6 | +4.5% |
Italian Revenue Agency, OMI, 2nd half of 2025, normal condition; change on the 2nd half of 2024. These are estimated ranges per zone, not individual sale prices.
Honestly
Does Quarna Sopra suit you?
It suits you if
- You want the mountains with the lake below, 554 m down.
- You are looking for the lowest values: standard homes at €800–1,100/m².
- You want winter sun: 7 h 46 min on 21 December.
Look elsewhere if
- You often need to get to Milan: it is 96 min without traffic.
- You have children beyond primary age: the other schools are in Omegna.
- You do not want to drive mountain roads in winter.
Questions
The questions we are asked
How much does a house cost in Quarna Sopra?
In the built-up centre OMI values standard homes at €800–1,100/m² and villas at €900–1,150/m² (2nd half of 2025). These are the lowest values among the atlas's municipalities. They are estimated ranges, not signed prices.
How high is Quarna Sopra?
The village point is at 844 m according to the Copernicus GLO-90 model (831 m on the other model we use). It is 554 m above the lake, the highest of the sixteen places.
How far is it from Omegna and Milan?
Omegna is 15 min by car, Milan's Duomo 96 min and Malpensa 75 min, without traffic. It is the place in the atlas furthest from Milan. The train is taken in Omegna, changing at Novara.
What are the Quarna murals?
According to Wikipedia the village has a trail of 24 murals, "Quarna paese dipinto". We have not verified it on a municipal source. Neighbouring Quarna Sotto has a museum of wind instruments.
Can I buy here through OrtaVillas?
Yes: TriesteVillas srl is a registered agency and can act as broker on the lake. Today, however, the lake's Private Collection has 0 homes, and this page is not a listing. Sign up to be notified, or write to richieste@triestevillas.com or call +39 347 8628738.
Private Collection · Lago d'Orta
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Sources
- ISTAT – Popolazione residente al 1° gennaio 2025 (POSAS) · read on 2026-10-06
- Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI, quotazioni 2° semestre 2025 e 2° semestre 2024, Quarna Sopra · read on 2026-10-06
- OSRM su dati © OpenStreetMap contributors – tempi in auto senza traffico · read on 2026-10-06
- ISPRA IdroGEO – indicatori di pericolosità, comune di Quarna Sopra · read on 2026-10-06
- MIM – Anagrafe scuole statali a.s. 2026/27 · read on 2026-10-06
- Sole al 21 dicembre, marzo e giugno: calcolo OrtaVillas su AWS Terrain Tiles (EU-DEM/SRTM) · read on 2026-10-06
- Quota: Copernicus DEM GLO-90 via Open-Meteo Elevation API (844 m; 831 m su Terrain Tiles) · read on 2026-10-06
- Distretto Turistico dei Laghi – Quarna Sopra e Quarna Sotto (tornitura del legno; museo degli strumenti a fiato a Quarna Sotto) · read on 2026-10-06
- Distretto Turistico dei Laghi – Museo etnografico e dello strumento musicale a fiato, Quarna Sotto · read on 2026-10-06
- Wikipedia (it) – Quarna Sopra (24 murales «Quarna paese dipinto») · read on 2026-10-06
- ASL VCO – Punto di Primo Intervento di Omegna; DEA di I livello Verbania e Domodossola (BUR Piemonte 20/7/2026) · read on 2026-10-06