Anzola dell'Emilia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Anzola dell'Emilia
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 Emilia 1, Anzola dell'Emilia.
Anzola dell'Emilia, on the Via Emilia west of Bologna
Anzola dell'Emilia is crossed by the Via Emilia, the old Roman road, on the stretch between Bologna and Castelfranco Emilia. It is a lowland town in Bologna's commuter belt: the city is about fifteen kilometres away and much of the local economy depends on jobs there and on the business parks that have grown up along the road.
Daily commuters have a station on the Bologna to Modena line, served by Bologna's suburban rail network, plus the ring road and the motorway a short drive away. The main town grew along the Via Emilia; the rest of the municipality includes smaller villages such as Lavino di Mezzo and San Giacomo del Martignone, and countryside that is still farmed.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 12,347 residents in 2023, up 4.2% on 2011. The average age (46.0) is slightly below that of the metropolitan area (46.6), over-65s make up 23.9% and foreign nationals 11.6%. Average incomes are close to those of the province of Bologna, which are high.
In the Bologna area 12 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification; Anzola is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.163 g. The 2012 earthquake showed how much damage shocks can do to homes and industrial buildings even on the Emilian plain, so anyone buying a masonry building or commercial premises should ask whether it has been assessed or upgraded.
The land is flat and crossed by streams coming down from the Apennines, such as the Lavino and the Samoggia, as well as by canals and drainage ditches. The official flood maps need to be read address by address, and the report does so after finding the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- Station on the Bologna to Modena line, with suburban trains.
- Residents up 4.2% since 2011, foreign nationals 11.6%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.163 g.
- Lavino and Samoggia streams: check flood hazard at the address.
Overview
Anzola dell'Emilia is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 12,347 residents, ranked 21 of 55 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Anzola dell'Emilia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (43 of 55) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.163 g, a medium-high 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 grown by 4.2%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Anzola dell'Emilia declared an average taxable income of 28,339 euros, in line with the province (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Anzola dell'Emilia is in climate zone E, with 2,356 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 38 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Anzola dell'Emilia has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.5 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 15.6% of the land in Anzola dell'Emilia, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Anzola dell'Emilia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Emilia-Romagna in 2026. 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 open contaminated sites in Anzola dell'Emilia; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Anzola dell'Emilia: 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 Anzola dell'Emilia 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 77 inhabited census areas in Anzola dell'Emilia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 12.6%
- fair 70.8%
- good 16.6%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Emilia-Romagna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 037001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.