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Castel Bolognese: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castel Bolognese

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 Interna 1, Castel Bolognese.

Castel Bolognese, on the Via Emilia between Imola and Faenza

The name gives away its origins: Castel Bolognese began as a fortified outpost of Bologna on the Via Emilia, the old Roman road, right on the border with Romagna. Today it is the first municipality in the province of Ravenna as you come from Imola, with Faenza just to the east and the Apennine foothills rising to the south.

For commuters the railway is the big asset. The station, named Castel Bolognese-Riolo Terme, is on the Bologna to Ancona line and is also where the branch to Lugo and Ravenna begins, so trains run from here to Bologna, Faenza, Rimini and Ravenna.

The population has barely moved: Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 9,550 residents in 2023, up 0.3% on 2011. The average age is 46.1 and over-65s make up 25.0%, both a little below the provincial average; foreign nationals account for 14.5%. Incomes are close to the provincial average.

Earthquakes deserve attention here. Almost the whole province of Ravenna is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department's map, 17 municipalities out of 18, and in Castel Bolognese the expected ground acceleration is about 0.205 g, high for a lowland town. For masonry houses in the centre and blocks from the 1960s and 1970s, ask whether any structural assessment or strengthening has been done.

The Senio river runs beside the town, one of the rivers that flow down from the Apennines into the Romagna plain between high embankments. If you are looking at a house in the lower areas near the river or the drainage channels, check the flood maps for that exact address, which the report does. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • On the Via Emilia, with trains to Bologna, Ancona and Ravenna.
  • Population almost unchanged: 9,550 in 2023.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.205 g.
  • Near the Senio: check flood risk at each address.

Overview

Castel Bolognese is a municipality in the province of Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 9,550 residents, ranked 10 of 18 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castel Bolognese is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 18) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.205 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castel Bolognese, 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 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 14.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castel Bolognese declared an average taxable income of 24,906 euros, in line with the province (25,184 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castel Bolognese is in climate zone E, with 2,279 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 42 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castel Bolognese has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 10 sports facilities and 2 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 13.1% of the land in Castel Bolognese, compared with 10.5% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 22.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castel Bolognese 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 Castel Bolognese.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castel Bolognese: 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 Castel Bolognese 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 49 inhabited census areas in Castel Bolognese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 17.4%
  • fair 53.8%
  • good 28.9%

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 039006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.