Castiglione dei Pepoli: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Castiglione dei Pepoli
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 Toscana 1, Castiglione dei Pepoli.
Castiglione dei Pepoli, the Bologna Apennines near Tuscany
At around 700 metres, high in the Bologna Apennines and close to the border with Tuscany, Castiglione dei Pepoli still carries the name of the Bolognese family that held it as a fief for centuries. It is a mountain town with a compact centre, many hamlets scattered through the woods and a long tradition of summer holidays for people from Bologna and Tuscany.
For buyers, the first distinction is between a main home and a second home. Part of the housing stock is used only in summer or at weekends, and the market offers flats in 1960s and 1970s blocks, stone houses in the hamlets and detached homes. Bologna is about an hour by road; the nearest station, on the fast Bologna to Florence line, is named after San Benedetto Val di Sambro and Castiglione dei Pepoli. Winter snow and cold matter: heating is a significant cost and roads to the hamlets can be demanding.
The population is among the oldest in the province: average age 50.0 against 46.6, with 30.3% over 65 compared with 24.8%. At the end of 2023 there were 5,462 residents, down 7.0% since 2011. Foreign residents make up 12.5%, a higher share than you might expect in a mountain town.
Castiglione is in seismic zone 3, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.182 g, is close to that of many towns classed in zone 2. For stone houses, often extended over the years, a structural survey is money well spent.
The slopes of the Bologna Apennines, with clay exposed in many places, are among the most landslide-prone in Italy. Here the landslide check on the address is the most important part of the report, together with the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- Mountain town at around 700 metres, near the Tuscan border.
- 5,462 residents, down 7.0% since 2011.
- 30.3% over 65, against 24.8% in the province.
- Landslide-prone slopes: check the address before buying.
Overview
Castiglione dei Pepoli is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 5,462 residents, ranked 40 of 55 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castiglione dei Pepoli 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 0.182 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 fallen by 7.0%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 12.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castiglione dei Pepoli declared an average taxable income of 24,393 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castiglione dei Pepoli is in climate zone E, with 2,876 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 691 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castiglione dei Pepoli has 10 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.
There are 1.8 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).
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 5.8% of the land in Castiglione dei Pepoli, 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
Castiglione dei Pepoli 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 Castiglione dei Pepoli, 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 Castiglione dei Pepoli: 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 Castiglione dei Pepoli 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 81 inhabited census areas in Castiglione dei Pepoli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.4%
- fair 87.4%
- good 7.2%
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 037022. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.