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Cesenatico: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cesenatico

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 Cesenatico 11, Cesenatico.

Cesenatico, the canal harbour and the Romagna beaches

The heart of Cesenatico is its canal harbour, linked to a design by Leonardo da Vinci, where the old fishing boats of the maritime museum are moored in front of low fishermen's houses. Around it a Romagna seaside resort has grown up, with hotels, beach clubs and an unbroken strip of sand running on towards Villamarina and Valverde. Cesena lies about fifteen kilometres inland.

Tourism shapes the housing market. Close to the sea, many flats are second homes or summer lets, and in winter whole blocks are almost empty. People looking for a home to live in all year often consider the inland villages too, such as Sala and Villalta. The figures on bars and restaurants tell the same story: 15.00 per 1,000 residents against 5.97 across the province of Forlì-Cesena. The coastal railway between Ravenna and Rimini stops in town.

According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 26,008 residents at the end of 2023, up 2.3% on 2011. The average age of 47.1 is close to the provincial figure, and foreign nationals make up 8.6%. Average incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

All 30 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2 of the national classification. In Cesenatico the ground acceleration expected in the built-up area is about 0.181 g, a medium-high value. Many blocks near the sea date from the years of the tourist boom, so before buying ask for the structural design, any surveys, and the condition of columns and balconies exposed to salt air.

The land is flat and barely above sea level, crossed by canals and drainage ditches. Flooding, from the sea and from watercourses, is the thing to check. The report reads the official flood maps for the address and, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, finds the building's plot.

Key points

  • Historic canal harbour and a continuous beach to Villamarina and Valverde.
  • 15.00 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents: tourism shows.
  • 26,008 residents, up 2.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.181 g.

Overview

Cesenatico is a municipality in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 26,008 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cesenatico is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 30 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.181 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cesenatico, 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 2.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 8.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cesenatico declared an average taxable income of 21,635 euros, below the provincial average (24,445 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cesenatico is in climate zone E, with 2,316 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 2 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cesenatico has 18 schools and 12 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 24 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 58 sports facilities and 10 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 21.9% of the land in Cesenatico, compared with 7.4% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Cesenatico 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 no open contaminated sites in Cesenatico; 8 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cesenatico: 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 Cesenatico 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 320 inhabited census areas in Cesenatico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 6.5%
  • fair 69.8%
  • good 23.8%

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 040008. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.