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Castellarano: 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 Castellarano

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 Radici in Monte 1, Castellarano.

Castellarano, the old village on the Secchia in tile country

On the Reggio Emilia bank of the river Secchia, where the plain meets the first Apennine hills, Castellarano links two provinces. Across the river is Sassuolo, in the province of Modena, and together with its neighbours Castellarano forms Italy's best known ceramic tile district. The medieval village, with its tower, sits on a rise above the newer town.

Work here means the factories and offices of the tile district, and many families choose Castellarano to live close to the plant. The outlying villages differ. Roteglia, further upstream along the Secchia, grew up around the tile works, while the hamlets on the hills have more scattered houses and steep roads. Near the factories, lorry traffic and noise are part of the picture and vary a lot from street to street.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 15,241 residents in 2023, up 2.7% on 2011. Castellarano ranks 5 by population in the province of Reggio Emilia and is younger than average, with an estimated average age of 44.4 against 45.3 and over-65s at 19.8% against 22.6%. Foreign residents make up 6.8%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

The edge of the Apennines carries more earthquake risk than the plain. Castellarano is in seismic zone 2, one of 8 municipalities out of 42 in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.160 g. For houses in the old village and blocks from the 1960s and 70s, ask about structural surveys and work before signing.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report reaches the plot from the address. Along the Secchia and on the hillsides, flood and landslide hazard depends on the exact location and is checked for the individual address.

Key points

  • Reggio bank of the Secchia, facing Sassuolo.
  • Ceramic tile district: factories and homes side by side.
  • Seismic zone 2, like 8 municipalities in the province.
  • 15,241 residents, up 2.7% since 2011.

Overview

Castellarano is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 15,241 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 42).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castellarano 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 0.160 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castellarano, 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 2.7%. 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 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castellarano declared an average taxable income of 29,387 euros, above the provincial average (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castellarano is in climate zone E, with 2,383 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 149 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castellarano has 9 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 14.2% of the land in Castellarano, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castellarano 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castellarano, 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 Castellarano: 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 Castellarano 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 154 inhabited census areas in Castellarano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 44.6%
  • good 55.4%

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 035014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.