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Ferrara: what to know before buying a home

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

Search for an address in Ferrara

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 Dante 7, Milan.

Ferrara, a Renaissance city

Ferrara has the oldest population of any provincial capital in Emilia-Romagna: the estimated average age is 49.2, and 28.7% of residents are over 65, compared with 24.7% for the region. At the end of 2023 there were 129,391 residents, 2.4% fewer than in 2011 and 38.1% of the population of a province of 21 municipalities. Households average 1.98 people, and foreign nationals make up 11.9%.

The city of the Este dukes is one of the gems of the Italian Renaissance. The moated Este Castle, the almost intact walls that you can follow on foot or by bike, and the Addizione Erculea, one of the earliest examples of modern town planning, earned Ferrara and the Po delta their UNESCO listing. The land is flat, south of the Po, and the bicycle is the everyday way to get around.

Seismic hazard should not be underestimated. Ferrara is in zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, like 20 of the province's 21 municipalities (only one is in zone 2), but expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.134 g, towards the top of the zone 3 range. Many buildings in the centre are old, so ask whether the structure has been reinforced and, for more recent construction, which standards it was designed to.

Relative to population, the city has more sports facilities (156, or 1.21 per 1,000 residents against 0.89) and schools (90) than the provincial average, while supermarkets (51) are less common. Cadastral maps are published, so the report can find the plot from the address. On low-lying land crossed by canals, with the Po a few kilometres away, flood hazard needs to be read for the exact address, together with local price ranges.

Key points

  • The oldest population among Emilia-Romagna's provincial capitals: average age 49.2.
  • 129,391 residents, 2.4% fewer than in 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.134 g.
  • Sports facilities: 1.21 per 1,000 residents against 0.89 provincially.

Overview

Ferrara is the capital of the province of Ferrara, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 129,391 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 38% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ferrara is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (20 of 21) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.134 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Ferrara.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 2.4%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ferrara has 90 schools and 46 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 51 grocery shops and supermarkets, 110 healthcare facilities, 156 sports facilities and 22 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Ferrara: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 038008. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.