Castelfranco Emilia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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: Corso Martiri 1, Castelfranco Emilia.
Castelfranco Emilia, on the Via Emilia between Modena and Bologna
Castelfranco Emilia is the last municipality of the province of Modena along the Via Emilia before the border with Bologna, and for many residents Bologna is where they work. The town claims to be the birthplace of the tortellino, while the Forte Urbano, a papal fortress built in the seventeenth century, recalls that this land belonged to the Papal States for centuries.
The station on the Bologna-Modena line has regional trains to Bologna, and the A1 motorway runs just to the north. Besides the main town there are hamlets with their own character, such as Piumazzo, Manzolino and Cavazzona: detached houses and villas in the countryside on one side, flats and services in town on the other. Per resident, services are slightly below the provincial average, with 13 supermarkets and 18 sports facilities on record.
The town is growing and young by Emilian standards. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 33,364 residents in 2023, up 5.4% since 2011, with an average age of 44.5 against 45.8 in the province and over-65s at 20.9%. Foreign residents make up 13.2% and households have 2.36 people on average.
In the province of Modena, 7 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 40 in zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale. Castelfranco is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.163 g, a value not to be taken lightly. The 2012 Emilia earthquake showed how much structures matter, so for houses and sheds ask for the construction date and any seismic upgrading.
On the plain between the Panaro and the Samoggia, crossed by drainage channels, flood hazard changes from one street to the next and the report measures it for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry maps are published and lead to the plot.
Key points
- Via Emilia, trains to Bologna, hamlets such as Piumazzo and Manzolino.
- 33,364 residents, up 5.4% since 2011.
- Average age 44.5, foreign residents at 13.2%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.163 g.
Overview
Castelfranco Emilia is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 33,364 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 47).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelfranco Emilia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 47) are in the same zone.
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.
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 5.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 13.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelfranco Emilia declared an average taxable income of 26,510 euros, in line with the province (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castelfranco Emilia is in climate zone E, with 2,269 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, Castelfranco Emilia has 23 schools and 10 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 18 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities 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 11.7% of the land in Castelfranco Emilia, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Castelfranco Emilia 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castelfranco Emilia. 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 Castelfranco Emilia: 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 Castelfranco Emilia 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 160 inhabited census areas in Castelfranco Emilia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.3%
- fair 53.4%
- good 41.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Emilia-Romagna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 036006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.