Certosa di Pavia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Pavia, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Certosa di Pavia
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 Principale 1, Certosa di Pavia.
Certosa di Pavia, the monastery and the canal towards Milan
The municipality takes its name from the Carthusian monastery that Gian Galeazzo Visconti had built at the end of the fourteenth century, one of the best-known buildings in Lombardy. Around the Certosa, though, is an ordinary lowland municipality a few kilometres north of Pavia, crossed by the Naviglio Pavese canal and the main road to Milan, with fields, irrigation channels and residential areas that have grown in recent decades.
Its position between Pavia and Milan is what draws buyers. Certosa di Pavia station is on the Milan to Pavia line, served by suburban trains, and Milan can also be reached by car along the main road. Newcomers often work in Milan or Pavia and want more space for less money. Average declared incomes are above the provincial average.
The population has grown. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,517 residents in 2023, up 10.3% on 2011. That makes it young for the province of Pavia, with an average age of 44.1 against 47.1 and over-65s at 19.3%, compared with 25.2% across the province. Foreign residents make up 10.9%. Services are still those of a small town: 3 school sites and 3 supermarkets.
Seismic risk is low. Certosa di Pavia is in zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 156 other municipalities around Pavia, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.060 g. For newer homes, energy rating and the quality of systems matter most; for older ones, roofs and floors.
The irrigated plain has channels, canals and areas with a high water table, so in cellars and basements look for signs of damp. The report checks the flood maps at the address and traces the plot on the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps.
Key points
- Lowland north of Pavia, on the Naviglio Pavese canal.
- Station on the Milan to Pavia railway line.
- 5,517 residents, up 10.3% since 2011.
- Over-65s at 19.3%, against 25.2% in the province.
Overview
Certosa di Pavia is a municipality in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,517 residents, ranked 20 of 184 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Certosa di Pavia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (157 of 184) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.060 g, a moderate 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 10.3%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (47). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 10.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Certosa di Pavia declared an average taxable income of 27,265 euros, in line with the province (26,290 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Certosa di Pavia is in climate zone E, with 2,619 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 89 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Certosa di Pavia has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.
There are 0.2 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).
Public transport
The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Certosa di Pavia.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 14.1% of the land in Certosa di Pavia, compared with 9.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Certosa di Pavia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Certosa di Pavia.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Certosa di Pavia: 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 Certosa di Pavia 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 29 inhabited census areas in Certosa di Pavia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 33.4%
- good 66.6%
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.
- Public transport timetables (GTFS): Trenord, Regione Lombardia - Trenord, orari ferroviari (GTFS). Licence CC BY 4.0, version 20261111.
- 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 Lombardia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2023.
- Contaminated sites, Regione Lombardia. Licence CC0 1.0 (pubblico dominio), updated to 15 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 018046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.