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Dozza: 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 Dozza

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 Emilia 1, Dozza.

Dozza, a hilltop fortress and Toscanella on the Via Emilia

Dozza comes in two parts. The historic village sits on a ridge in the first hills between Imola and Castel San Pietro Terme, gathered around the fortress that houses the regional wine library of Emilia-Romagna, and it is known for its painted walls: for decades invited artists have decorated the fronts of the houses. Down on the plain, along the Via Emilia, lies Toscanella, the district where much of the population lives and where shops, businesses and newer homes are concentrated.

Buying in the old village means taking on an old building in a place busy with visitors at weekends, with the usual planning restrictions that apply to historic centres. In Toscanella the market is that of the plain around Imola, made up of flats and detached houses, with Imola a few minutes away and Bologna reachable along the Via Emilia or on the A14 motorway.

There were 6,544 residents in 2023, up 1.6% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The town is younger than the Bologna average: the average age is 45.7 against 46.6, and over-65s make up 22.9% compared with 24.8% across the province. Foreign residents account for 8.3%. Average declared incomes are a little below the provincial level.

On earthquakes, Dozza is in the more exposed group within the province. It is one of 12 municipalities around Bologna in seismic zone 2, while the other 43 are in zone 3 (the Civil Protection Department's scale runs from 1, highest, to 4). Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.203 g. For a house in the village, ask what strengthening work has been done; for a block of flats in Toscanella, ask for the year of the structural design.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps cover the whole municipality, and the report identifies the land parcel from the address. On the clay hills around the village the concern is landslides, on the plain the smaller watercourses; both are checked for the individual plot.

Key points

  • Painted-wall village on the hill, Toscanella on the plain along the Via Emilia.
  • 6,544 residents, up 1.6% since 2011.
  • One of 12 municipalities near Bologna in seismic zone 2.
  • Over-65s at 22.9%, below the provincial average.

Overview

Dozza is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,544 residents, ranked 35 of 55 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Dozza is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 12 of 55 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.203 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Dozza, 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 1.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 8.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Dozza declared an average taxable income of 26,924 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Dozza is in climate zone E, with 2,427 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 190 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Dozza has 6 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 6 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 11.6% of the land in Dozza, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Dozza 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 Dozza; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Dozza: 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 Dozza 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 91 inhabited census areas in Dozza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.2%
  • fair 65.0%
  • good 31.8%

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 037025. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.