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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.

Liveability index free for any address

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 Bologna 1, Ferrara.

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 1 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 (157, or 1.21 per 1,000 residents against 0.94) and schools (90) than the provincial average, while supermarkets (45) 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 0.94 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.

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.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ferrara declared an average taxable income of 27,432 euros, above the provincial average (24,414 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ferrara is in climate zone E, with 2,326 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 9 metres above sea level.

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 45 grocery shops and supermarkets, 136 healthcare facilities, 157 sports facilities and 25 parks and green areas.

There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 12.5% of the land in Ferrara, compared with 7.2% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 15.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ferrara 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 35 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Ferrara, and 40 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 Ferrara: 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 Ferrara 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 1,721 inhabited census areas in Ferrara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 7.6%
  • fair 64.3%
  • good 28.1%

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