AIReworked with AI
What changed. Haze removed, clear air, warm late-afternoon light. 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: View of Lake Orta from the Sanctuary of Madonna della Bocciola in Vacciago, Ameno.jpg · Explore.piedmont
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nano Banana 2 (Higgsfield) · 6/10/2026
72 min · 84 km · from Piazza del Duomo, by car
Vacciago
Mottarone hills · Nineteenth-century villas, meadows and woods above the east shore
hamlet of Ameno
In one sentence
Vacciago is the hamlet of Ameno facing Orta, 194 m above the lake and 500 m from the shore: 8 h of sun on 21 December, 72 min from Milan, 8 min from Orta.
Data sheet
By car, without traffic
| From | Drive time | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Milan | 72 min | 84 |
| Malpensa | 51 min | 44 |
| Linate | 80 min | 89 |
| Novara | 47 min | 46 |
| Turin | 1 h 34 min | 124 |
| Lugano | 79 min | 93 |
| Zurich | 3 h 49 min | 296 |
| Basel | 4 h 22 min | 353 |
| Bern | 4 h 21 min | 321 |
| Geneva | 3 h 52 min | 301 |
| Munich | 6 h 03 min | 508 |
OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, without traffic, measured on 6 October 2026. Arrival at the centre of the place.
elevation
484 m194 m above the lake · from 347 m to 510 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
8 h 00 min of direct sun, from 08:28 to 16:27 (out of 8 h 29 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
- Orta-Miasino · 1.2 km
- Nearest pier
- Orta piazza · 2.3 km
- State schools in the municipality
- scuola infanzia
as the crow flies
Landslides and floods (municipality)
- of residents in high or very high landslide hazard areas
- 0.1%
- of residents in medium flood hazard areas
- 1.3%
ISPRA IdroGEO, percentages for the whole municipality (2021 census population), not for the point.
Distances
Vacciago and its neighbours
| Places | Drive time | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Miasino | 3 min | 2.0 |
| Ameno | 4 min | 1.4 |
| Bolzano Novarese | 4 min | 3.3 |
| Legro | 5 min | 1.9 |
| Armeno | 6 min | 4.8 |
| Orta San Giulio | 8 min | 4.9 |
| Pettenasco | 8 min | 6.4 |
| Gozzano | 8 min | 5.5 |
| San Maurizio d'Opaglio | 11 min | 9.2 |
| Pella | 16 min | 12.8 |
| Omegna | 19 min | 13.3 |
| Madonna del Sasso | 20 min | 15.7 |
| Ronco | 21 min | 15.6 |
| Nonio | 22 min | 19.2 |
| Quarna Sopra | 31 min | 21.4 |
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 Vacciago
A hamlet of Ameno
Vacciago is not a municipality: it is a hamlet of Ameno, lower than the main village and facing Orta. Residents, schools, hazards and taxes are those of the municipality: 874 inhabitants in all (ISTAT, 1 January 2025), not split by hamlet in the data we used.
The hamlet's point is at 484 m, 194 m above the lake and about 500 m from the shore as the crow flies: the hill place closest to the water. It is home to the Antonio and Carmela Calderara Foundation, in the painter's house-studio, a 17th-century palazzo: 327 works, 56 by Calderara and 271 by European, American, Japanese and Chinese artists.
Eight hours of sun in December
On 21 December our calculation gives Vacciago 8 h 00 min of direct sun, from 8:28 am to 4:27 pm, out of 8 h 29 min possible: almost as much as Ameno, the atlas maximum, and 81 minutes more than Piazza Motta. On 21 June it is 14 h 35 min. The calculation covers terrain only, without buildings or trees.
According to ISPRA, in the municipality of Ameno 0.1% of residents live in areas of high or very high landslide hazard; 4.9% of the territory, with 1.3% of residents, has flood hazard along watercourses.
Services: you go down to Orta
The municipality of Ameno has only a state nursery school; primary and lower secondary are in Orta (8 min) or Miasino (3 min, primary). The nearest liceo is in Gozzano, 8 min. For healthcare, Omegna has a first-aid point, not an emergency department; the level-I emergency department is in Borgomanero.
We have not surveyed shops and services in the hamlet: for everyday life you rely on Orta and the nearby villages, by car.
What you buy and at what price
No OMI zone of Ameno names Vacciago, so we do not know which zone it falls in. In the municipality, in the 2nd half of 2025, the residential hill zone D1 values standard homes at €1,100–1,550/m² and villas at €1,150–1,650/m²; the old core B1 values standard homes at €990–1,450/m². Against the 2nd half of 2024, D1 standard homes rose by 6.0% at the midpoint.
Orta's zone C1, just below, values villas at €1,300–1,950/m². These are valuations, not sale prices: ranges estimated by zone and type, on gross floor area and normal condition.
Getting there
By car, without traffic: 72 min (84 km) from Milan's Duomo, 51 min (44 km) from Malpensa T1, 79 min from Lugano. Orta-Miasino station is 1.2 km away as the crow flies: on a sample Wednesday 8 direct trains leave for Novara, none between 8:04 am and 1:51 pm; for Milan you change at Novara.
The Piazza Motta boat landing in Orta is 2.3 km away as the crow flies and 8 min by car; boats run from March to October.
By car, without traffic · OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, measured on 6 October 2026.
Quotations
What the quotations say in Vacciago
| OMI zone | Type | €/m² | Rent €/m² per month | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 · vecchio nucleo centrale Centrale | Abitazioni civili | 990–1,450 | 3.2–4.6 | +4.3% |
| Abitazioni di tipo economico | 580–840 | 2.0–2.8 | +1.4% | |
| D1 · collinare residenziale Periferica | Abitazioni civili | 1,100–1,550 | 3.5–5.0 | +6.0% |
| Abitazioni di tipo economico | 590–850 | 2.0–2.9 | +1.4% | |
| Ville e Villini | 1,150–1,650 | 4.2–6.0 | +3.7% |
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 Vacciago suit you?
It suits you if
- You want hillside sun (8 h on 21 December) while staying close to Orta.
- You want a house above the lake at hillside values.
- You like the idea of living next to a contemporary art collection.
Look elsewhere if
- You want a hamlet with shops and schools: here you go to Orta or Miasino.
- You want a precise price figure for the hamlet: OMI does not name it.
- You do not want to use the car every day.
Questions
The questions we are asked
Is Vacciago a municipality?
No, it is a hamlet of Ameno. Residents, schools, ISPRA hazards and taxes are the municipality's: 874 residents on 1 January 2025. The municipality has only a state nursery school.
How much does a house cost in Vacciago?
OMI has no zone naming Vacciago. In the municipality of Ameno, hill zone D1 values standard homes at €1,100–1,550/m² and villas at €1,150–1,650/m² (2nd half of 2025). These are estimated ranges, not signed prices.
What is the Calderara Foundation?
It is the house-studio of the painter Antonio Calderara (1903–1978) in a 17th-century palazzo in Vacciago. It holds 327 works: 56 of his and 271 by other European, American, Japanese and Chinese artists. Check opening times on the Foundation's website.
How much winter sun does Vacciago get?
On 21 December, 8 h 00 min of direct sun, from 8:28 am to 4:27 pm, according to our terrain calculation. That is 81 minutes more than Orta, 190 m lower down. Buildings and trees are not considered.
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
Tell me when homes in Vacciago arrive.
Today the lake collection is empty: leave us an address and your areas, and we will write when the first home arrives.
Do you own a home in Vacciago? This is how we would present it →
Sources
- Agenzia delle Entrate – OMI, quotazioni 2° semestre 2025 e 2° semestre 2024, Ameno (nessuna zona nomina Vacciago) · read on 2026-10-06
- ISTAT – Popolazione residente al 1° gennaio 2025 (POSAS), comune di Ameno · 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 Ameno · 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 · read on 2026-10-06
- Fondazione Antonio e Carmela Calderara · read on 2026-10-06
- Abbonamento Musei – Fondazione Antonio e Carmela Calderara (327 opere) · read on 2026-10-06
- Wikipedia (it) – Ameno (Casa Calderara con loggiato rinascimentale) · read on 2026-10-06
- Trenitalia, motore orari lefrecce.it – campione del 7 e 10 ottobre 2026 · read on 2026-10-06
- ASL NO – Borgomanero, Ospedale SS. Trinità, DEA di I livello (BUR Piemonte 1/4/2026) · read on 2026-10-06
- ASL VCO – Punto di Primo Intervento di Omegna · read on 2026-10-06