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Fiumalbo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fiumalbo

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 Giardini 1, Fiumalbo.

Fiumalbo, Modena's Apennines at the foot of the Abetone

The last village in Modena province before the Abetone pass is Fiumalbo: a stone village at almost a thousand metres in the upper Frignano, on the main road that climbs to the pass and drops into Tuscany. Around it are beech and fir woods and the peaks of the Apennine ridge, with Monte Cimone close by. The municipality also includes Dogana Nuova and Faidello, higher up towards the pass.

Life here follows the seasons: skiing in winter, walking and holidays in summer. Many houses are second homes, and the market offers flats in small blocks, stone houses in the old centre and a few isolated houses. For the main services, including the hospital, people go down to Pavullo or towards the plain, and in winter mountain roads make journeys longer.

The figures describe an ageing village: 1,174 residents in 2023, 10.0% fewer than in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, an average age of 50.7 against 45.8 in the province of Modena, and over-65s at 31.4% against 23.7%. Foreign residents make up 3.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Fiumalbo is in seismic zone 3 of the national classification, like 40 of the 47 municipalities in Modena province, but the expected ground acceleration in the village, 0.199 g, is a medium-high value, so for a stone house ask about any work on walls, floors and roof. The climate is zone F, with long, snowy winters, and heating and insulation are the first costs to consider.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report reaches the land parcel. On the Apennine slopes, landslides and mountain streams are checked on the official maps for the address.

Key points

  • Upper Frignano, Modena's last village before the Abetone.
  • Over-65s at 31.4%, against 23.7% provincially.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.199 g.
  • Climate zone F: long winters, insulation comes first.

Overview

Fiumalbo is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 1,174 residents, among the smallest in the province (45 of 47).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fiumalbo 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 0.199 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 fallen by 10.0%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (46). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fiumalbo declared an average taxable income of 20,780 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fiumalbo is in climate zone F, with 3,549 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 953 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fiumalbo has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 2.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 3.8% of the land in Fiumalbo, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Fiumalbo 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 contaminated sites in Fiumalbo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fiumalbo: 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 Fiumalbo 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 29 inhabited census areas in Fiumalbo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.2%
  • fair 69.3%
  • good 26.4%

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 036014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.