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Castenaso: 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 Castenaso

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 Bruno Tosarelli 1, Castenaso.

Castenaso, along the Idice just outside Bologna

The Idice stream runs through Castenaso, and the municipality stretches along its banks just east of Bologna, which it borders. In the village of Villanova, in the nineteenth century, archaeologists uncovered the tombs that gave their name to the Villanovan culture, the Iron Age civilisation that came before the Etruscans in this part of Italy. Today most of the land is farmed plain, with the main village and outlying hamlets having spread over recent decades.

For anyone working in Bologna, location is the strong point. The local Bologna to Portomaggiore railway has stops in the municipality, and the ring road and routes into the city are close, though they slow down at rush hour. Buyers mostly find recent small blocks, detached and terraced houses, and a few restored farmhouses in the countryside.

Castenaso has grown fast: in 2023 there were 16,357 residents, up 14.0% on 2011, or 2,005 more people. The estimated average age is 46.4, close to the province (46.6); over-65s are 25.1% and foreign residents 6.8%. Average declared incomes are above the provincial figure.

In the national classification by the Civil Protection department, the municipality is in seismic zone 3, like 42 others in the metropolitan area, while 12 are in zone 2. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.172 g, is fairly high for this class, and worth bearing in mind: for a 1970s house or a farmhouse, asking for the design and any structural work is simple good sense.

Along the Idice, flood hazard is the first thing to check, and the report does so on the official maps for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps, and the house number leads to the plot.

Key points

  • Borders Bologna to the east, on the Portomaggiore railway.
  • 2,005 more residents since 2011, up 14.0%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.172 g.
  • Along the Idice: check flood hazard by address.

Overview

Castenaso is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 16,357 residents, ranked 13 of 55 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castenaso 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 0.172 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 14.0%. 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 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castenaso declared an average taxable income of 30,221 euros, in line with the province (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castenaso is in climate zone E, with 2,182 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, Castenaso has 10 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 19 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.7 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 15.6% of the land in Castenaso, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Castenaso 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castenaso, and one more has 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 Castenaso: 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 Castenaso 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 150 inhabited census areas in Castenaso. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.3%
  • fair 47.8%
  • good 50.9%

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 037021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.