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Bologna: 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

Search for an address in Bologna

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 Francesco Zanardi 1, Bologna.

Bologna, the city of porticoes

Bologna is home to what is traditionally regarded as the oldest university in the Western world, founded in 1088, and to kilometres of porticoes that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. The Two Towers, Asinelli and Garisenda, are the emblem of the medieval centre. As the capital of Emilia-Romagna, the city is a major rail and motorway junction between northern and central Italy, with a busy trade fair and an economy ranging from engineering to food. To the south it rests against the first Apennine hills; to the north it opens onto the plain.

At the end of 2023 Bologna had 390,098 residents, 5.1% more than in 2011 and 38.3% of the population of its metropolitan area. The estimated average age is 46.4, and 24.4% of residents are over 65, in line with the region. Households are small, at 1.85 people on average, and foreign nationals make up 15.1%.

On earthquakes, Bologna is in seismic zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, like 43 municipalities in its area; another 12 are in zone 2. Among the provincial capitals of Emilia proper, from Piacenza to Ferrara, it nonetheless has the highest expected ground acceleration, about 0.166 g, a value national criteria associate with zone 2. For a flat in a historic building under the porticoes or in a post-war block, ask how the structure was designed and strengthened.

Services are plentiful: 460 healthcare facilities, 277 schools, 127 pharmacies and 121 recorded green spaces, the last of these above the provincial rate per head. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre covers the municipality, and the report derives the sheet and parcel numbers from the address. Landslide hazard in the hills and flood hazard near streams and canals on the plain both have to be checked for the individual address, as do local price ranges.

Key points

  • 390,098 residents, up 5.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration about 0.166 g.
  • Small households: 1.85 people on average.
  • 460 healthcare facilities and 121 green spaces in the data.

Overview

Bologna is the capital of the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 390,098 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 38% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bologna 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 0.166 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 5.1%. 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 15.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bologna declared an average taxable income of 31,449 euros, above the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bologna is in climate zone E, with 2,259 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 54 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Bologna has 277 schools and 127 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 142 grocery shops and supermarkets, 460 healthcare facilities, 379 sports facilities and 121 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 34.4% of the land in Bologna, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 24.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Bologna 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 52 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Bologna, and 72 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 Bologna: 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 Bologna 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 2,145 inhabited census areas in Bologna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • poor 0.0%
  • modest 1.4%
  • fair 21.3%
  • good 72.7%
  • very good 4.7%

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 037006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.