Collecchio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Collecchio
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 La Spezia 1, Collecchio.
Collecchio, between the Carrega woods and the Taro near Parma
Collecchio's name is known all over Italy because the dairy group Parmalat has its headquarters here, but for residents it is mainly a residential town about a dozen kilometres from Parma. It lies where the plain begins to rise towards the first hills, between the river Taro to the west and the Boschi di Carrega, the large wooded park to the south that it shares with Sala Baganza.
Most homes are in the main town, where detached houses and blocks of flats have been built over recent decades for people working in Parma. Around it are smaller, partly rural hamlets such as Lemignano, Gaiano and Ozzano Taro. The Pontremolese railway from Parma towards La Spezia stops at Collecchio, and the Taro valley road reaches the city quickly. The food industry is the main employer in the area.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 14,774 residents in 2023, up 6.3% on 2011, and the town ranks number 4 by population in the province of Parma. The estimated average age is 45.2, over-65s make up 22.3% against 23.4% in the province and foreign residents 10.8%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.
In the province, 7 municipalities high in the Apennines are in seismic zone 2; Collecchio is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.155 g. For a detached house from the 1970s or 1980s, ask whether the design already followed earthquake rules and what work has been done since.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report starts from the address to find the land parcel. Near the Taro and the irrigation canals flood hazard is what counts, on the first hills it is landslides: both are read for the individual plot.
Key points
- Parmalat's home, with a Pontremolese station and the Carrega woods nearby.
- Population up 6.3% since 2011, foreign residents 10.8%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.155 g.
- Declared incomes above the provincial average.
Overview
Collecchio is a municipality in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 14,774 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 44).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Collecchio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (37 of 44) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.155 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 6.3%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 10.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Collecchio declared an average taxable income of 29,962 euros, above the provincial average (28,491 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Collecchio is in climate zone E, with 2,600 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 112 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Collecchio has 10 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 14.4% of the land in Collecchio, compared with 7.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Collecchio 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Collecchio, 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 Collecchio: 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 Collecchio 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 109 inhabited census areas in Collecchio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 44.2%
- good 55.7%
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 034009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.