Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Bergamo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Bergamo

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 Borgo Palazzo 1, Bergamo.

Bergamo, an upper town and a lower town

Bergamo is really two cities. Up on a hill stands Città Alta, the upper town, enclosed by sixteenth-century Venetian walls that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017; below it spreads Città Bassa, the modern lower town, linked to the old quarter by, among other things, a funicular railway. The Orobie Prealps rise behind, the plain opens to the south, and Orio al Serio airport is only a few kilometres away.

With 120,157 residents at the end of 2023, up 4.2% since 2011, Bergamo is the capital of a populous and fragmented province of 243 municipalities, and the city itself is home to 10.8% of its inhabitants. The city's population is older than the provincial one, with an estimated average age of 46.7 against 45.2, and 25.1% of residents over 65 compared with 22.5%. Foreign nationals make up 16.1%, and households average 2 people.

Seismic hazard is moderate but should not be ignored. Bergamo is in zone 3, the second-lowest class, like all 243 municipalities in its province, yet the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.111 g, higher than the figure for Milano (Milan). For an older building, especially in a historic area on the slopes, ask when it was designed and what structural work has been done.

The city is well served: 149 schools and 148 healthcare facilities, above the provincial rate per head, plus 806 bars and restaurants. Trenord's open timetables show 2 rail stops within the municipality, served by 4 train lines. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report finds the plot from the address. Between hills, streams and the plain, landslide and flood hazard can only be judged at the exact address, and the same applies to local price ranges.

Key points

  • 120,157 residents, up 4.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration about 0.111 g.
  • Schools and healthcare facilities above the provincial rate per head.
  • Cadastral maps available: plot found from the address.

Overview

Bergamo is the capital of the province of Bergamo, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 120,157 residents, the most populous municipality in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bergamo is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 243 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.111 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 grown by 4.2%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (45). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 16.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bergamo declared an average taxable income of 33,776 euros, above the provincial average (26,939 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bergamo is in climate zone E, with 2,533 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 249 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Bergamo has 149 schools and 37 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 55 grocery shops and supermarkets, 148 healthcare facilities, 132 sports facilities and 29 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 2 public transport stops, served by 4 train lines, 1 bus line. That is about 0.0 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 45.5% of the land in Bergamo, compared with 12.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 15.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bergamo 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 29 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Bergamo, and 48 more have 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 Bergamo: 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 Bergamo 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 646 inhabited census areas in Bergamo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 14.0%
  • good 80.9%
  • very good 5.0%

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 016024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.