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Canossa: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Canossa

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 Val D'Enza Nord 1, Canossa.

Canossa, Matilda's castles and the Enza valley

The name belongs to Matilda's castle, where Emperor Henry IV waited for the Pope's forgiveness, but Canossa's town hall is not below the crag. The municipal seat is Ciano d'Enza, the valley-floor village along the Enza, the river that marks the border with the province of Parma here. The land rises from the riverbanks into the hills of the Reggio Emilia Apennines, where the ruins of Canossa castle stand along with the better preserved castle of Rossena.

Buyers therefore choose between two settings. Ciano and the other valley-floor villages have the newer houses, the shops and the road to Reggio Emilia and Parma. In the hills there are hamlets, farmhouses and stone cottages, often with land, but with narrow roads and longer journeys. Average declared incomes are close to the provincial average.

In 2023 there were 3,759 residents, down 0.7% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, a nearly stable trend. The average age is 46.4 against 45.3 in the province, and over-65s make up 25.0%. Foreign residents account for 9.5%.

Canossa is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.158 g, a notable value for Emilia. For a stone farmhouse, have an engineer check the walls, floors and roof before committing. Climate zone E brings cold winters.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps. The hills in these valleys have clay slopes and badlands, and the valley floor lies close to the Enza, so landslide and flood hazards are checked for the exact address.

Key points

  • Home of the Canossa and Rossena castles, seat at Ciano d'Enza.
  • 3,759 residents in 2023, average age 46.4.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.158 g.
  • Badlands uphill, the Enza below: landslides and floods checked per address.

Overview

Canossa is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 3,759 residents, among the smallest in the province (38 of 42).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Canossa is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (34 of 42) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.158 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 9.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Canossa declared an average taxable income of 26,773 euros, in line with the province (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Canossa is in climate zone E, with 2,484 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 219 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Canossa has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility, 2 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

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 6.4% of the land in Canossa, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Canossa 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 contaminated sites in Canossa.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Canossa: 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 Canossa 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 65 inhabited census areas in Canossa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 21.5%
  • fair 74.6%
  • good 3.9%

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 035018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.