Finale Emilia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Finale Emilia
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 per Modena 1, Finale Emilia.
Finale Emilia, the lower Modena plain after the 2012 quake
Finale Emilia made national news in May 2012, when the Emilia earthquake had one of its epicentres right here. The Torre dei Modenesi, the town's landmark tower, collapsed, and the Rocche castle and many churches were damaged. This is the Bassa, the flat lowland of the province of Modena crossed by the river Panaro, on the border with the province of Ferrara.
For a buyer today, the earthquake is the first thing to understand. Many buildings were repaired or rebuilt with public grants and are often safer than before; others had only partial work. Asking for the reconstruction file, the list of work carried out and the final structural sign-off is the simplest way to know what you are buying. The town is in seismic zone 3, like 40 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.149 g.
The ground matters too. The subsoil of the Bassa is made of river sands and silts, and in 2012 sand was seen rising to the surface in some villages of the area. If you plan to build or extend, a geological report on the plot is money well spent.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 15,142 residents in 2023, down 3.6% on 2011. The population is a little older than the Modena average, with an estimated average age of 46.5 against 45.8 and over-65s at 24.7%. Foreign residents make up 14.9%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report reaches the plot from the address. On a plain of embanked rivers and drainage canals, flood hazard varies from one area to another and the report checks it for the individual address.
Key points
- Epicentre of the May 2012 earthquake, now largely rebuilt.
- Ask for the reconstruction file and structural sign-off.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.149 g.
- Population down 3.6% since 2011.
Overview
Finale Emilia is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 15,142 residents, ranked 13 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Finale Emilia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 47) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.149 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 3.6%. 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 14.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Finale Emilia declared an average taxable income of 23,887 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Finale Emilia is in climate zone E, with 2,189 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 15 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Finale Emilia has 8 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 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 8.6% of the land in Finale Emilia, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Finale Emilia 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Finale Emilia, and one more has 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 Finale Emilia: 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 Finale Emilia 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 123 inhabited census areas in Finale Emilia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.4%
- fair 44.7%
- good 51.9%
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 036012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.