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Casalgrande: 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 Casalgrande

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 Canale 1, Casalgrande.

Casalgrande, on the Secchia in the ceramic tile district

Across the Secchia from Sassuolo, on the river's left bank, lies Casalgrande, where the plain around Reggio Emilia meets the first hills. It is one of the towns of the ceramic tile district, and it shows: next to the villages of Casalgrande, Salvaterra, Dinazzano, Villalunga and San Donnino stretch factories, warehouses and storage yards.

For buyers this means jobs close by and plenty of recent housing, but also heavy lorry traffic on the provincial roads and residential streets right next to the plants. The main village and Salvaterra have more services; the hill hamlets are quieter, with scattered houses and views over the plain. Reggio Emilia and Modena are about half an hour away by car, and a local railway between Reggio and Sassuolo runs through the municipality.

At the end of 2023 there were 18,973 residents, up 1.8% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and Casalgrande ranks number 4 in the province of Reggio Emilia. The estimated average age is 44.2, below the province, and foreign nationals make up 7.7%. Declared incomes are just above the provincial average.

Earthquakes need to be taken seriously. Casalgrande is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.163 g, and only 8 of the province's 42 municipalities are in this zone. For houses and industrial buildings put up before current seismic standards, ask for structural surveys and records of any upgrading.

Near the Secchia and the canals of the plain, flooding is the issue; in the hills, landslides. The report checks the official maps for the land parcel, which it locates on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Ceramic tile district, on the Secchia opposite Sassuolo.
  • Population up 1.8% since 2011, foreign residents 7.7%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.163 g.
  • Allow for heavy traffic and nearby factories.

Overview

Casalgrande is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 18,973 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 42).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Casalgrande is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 8 of 42 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

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.

For anyone buying in Casalgrande, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 1.8%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Casalgrande declared an average taxable income of 27,666 euros, in line with the province (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Casalgrande is in climate zone E, with 2,612 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 97 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Casalgrande has 13 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 15 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).

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 25.8% of the land in Casalgrande, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 10.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Casalgrande 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 10 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Casalgrande, and 5 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 Casalgrande: 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 Casalgrande 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 80 inhabited census areas in Casalgrande. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.4%
  • fair 76.3%
  • good 20.3%

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 035012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.