Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Gradara: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gradara

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 Santo Stefano 1, Gradara.

Gradara, Paolo and Francesca's fortress on the Romagna border

Gradara is the last municipality in the Marche before Romagna: from the hilltop village you can see the coast at Cattolica, a few kilometres away. It is famous for its fortress and medieval walls, which tradition links to the story of Paolo and Francesca told by Dante, and the walled village is one of the most visited places in the province.

For buyers, the walls draw a sharp line. Inside there are few homes, and plenty of shops and restaurants for visitors; outside, on the hills and towards the plain, are the residential areas where most people live, with villas, terraced houses and small blocks of flats. Pesaro, Cattolica and Rimini are close and the Cattolica junction of the A14 motorway is a few minutes away, so many residents work on the Romagna coast or in Pesaro.

The population is growing: 4,893 residents in 2023, up 2.8% on 2011. It is also younger than the provincial average, with an average age of 44.3 against 46.9, and people over 65 at 19.1%, compared with 25.3% in the province of Pesaro and Urbino. Foreign residents account for 6.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

All 50 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2, and in Gradara the expected ground acceleration is about 0.184 g. For houses from the building boom years, ask for the structural design and inspection certificate; for older ones, find out about any earthquake-proofing work.

The hills between Gradara and the sea are clay and sand, landslides are possible on the slopes, and in the small valleys storm water runs off quickly. The report checks landslide and flood risk at the address and uses the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Walled village with its fortress, a few kilometres from Cattolica.
  • Over-65s at 19.1%, below the provincial 25.3%.
  • 4,893 residents, up 2.8% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, acceleration about 0.184 g.

Overview

Gradara is a municipality in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 4,893 residents, ranked 18 of 50 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gradara is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 50 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.184 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Gradara, 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 2.8%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (47). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gradara declared an average taxable income of 21,993 euros, below the provincial average (23,718 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gradara is in climate zone E, with 2,186 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 142 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gradara has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 sports facilities.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

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 Gradara, compared with 6.8% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. 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 Gradara; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gradara: 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 Gradara 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 33 inhabited census areas in Gradara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.6%
  • fair 60.0%
  • good 37.4%

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 041020. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.