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Castel Maggiore: 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 Castel Maggiore

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 Lame 2, Castel Maggiore.

Castel Maggiore, the plain north of Bologna along the Navile

Castel Maggiore begins just past Corticella, where Bologna's northern suburbs end. The main town grew along the Via Galliera and the railway to Ferrara, with the Navile canal running through it, and around it lies flat farmland stretching towards Bentivoglio and Argelato. To the west, the village of Trebbo di Reno reaches the river it is named after. For many families this is Bologna's inner commuter belt: people work in the city or in the industrial areas of the plain and live here.

Housing is typical of the Bologna plain: low-rise blocks and terraced houses in the main town, farmhouses and restored villas in the countryside, warehouses along the main roads. The railway station means you can get to Bologna without a car, and walking distance to the station makes a real difference to how a home works day to day. On the lower ground near the Reno and the drainage canals, flood hazard is not the same everywhere, and the report checks it on the official maps for each address.

The population is growing. In 2023 there were 18,496 residents, up 5.6% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, or 989 more people. The estimated average age of 46.7 is in line with the province, as is the share of over-65s (24.8%). Foreign nationals make up 8.2%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average, which is already high, and there are more sports facilities per resident than average.

The Bologna plain should not be underestimated when it comes to earthquakes. Castel Maggiore is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, like 43 municipalities in the province, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.167 g, a moderate value. The 2012 Emilia earthquake showed how much the year of construction and structural checks matter, especially for warehouses and masonry houses, so ask for these documents before making an offer. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Bologna's northern commuter belt, with a station on the Ferrara line.
  • Residents up 5.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.167 g.
  • Near the Reno and the canals, flood hazard checked by address.

Overview

Castel Maggiore is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 18,496 residents, ranked 9 of 55 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castel Maggiore 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 0.167 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 5.6%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 8.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castel Maggiore declared an average taxable income of 30,639 euros, above the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castel Maggiore is in climate zone E, with 2,224 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 29 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castel Maggiore has 15 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 23 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

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 18.4% of the land in Castel Maggiore, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castel Maggiore 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 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castel Maggiore, and 2 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 Castel Maggiore: 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 Maggiore 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 78 inhabited census areas in Castel Maggiore. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 6.3%
  • fair 52.6%
  • good 41.1%

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 037019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.