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Gualtieri: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gualtieri

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: Strada Statale 63 1, Gualtieri.

Gualtieri, Piazza Bentivoglio and the Po embankment

Gualtieri lies in the low plain north of Reggio Emilia, on the right bank of the Po, where the river marks the border with Lombardy. The town is built around Piazza Bentivoglio, a very large square for a place of this size, closed on one side by the Bentivoglio family palace. The painter Antonio Ligabue lived here for many years; he is buried in Gualtieri and the town runs a museum in his name.

Reggio Emilia is about thirty kilometres to the south, while Guastalla, right next door, has the services of a larger town. The regional Parma-Suzzara railway stops in Gualtieri, which helps if you want to get around the area without a car.

For a buyer the river comes first. The built-up area sits behind the main flood bank, but between the bank and the water there is the floodplain, with poplar plantations, fields and a few isolated houses. A house close to the embankment and one on the square can have very different flood exposure, so the report checks the official flood maps from the exact address. The climate is zone E in the Italian scale: cold, damp winters with the fog typical of the plain, so insulation matters in an old farmhouse.

At the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 6,281 residents, down 5.4% on the 2011 census. The average age is 46.3, slightly above the 45.3 of the province, and 24.2% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents make up 11.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile) places Gualtieri in seismic zone 3, on a scale from 1 (highest hazard) to 4, like 33 other municipalities in the province. Expected ground acceleration in the town is about 0.104 g. Soft river sediments tend to amplify shaking, so in the older brick houses of the centre it is worth having roofs, floors and wall connections inspected before you sign.

Key points

  • On the right bank of the Po, with the town protected by the main flood bank.
  • Population down 5.4% since 2011, average age 46.3.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.104 g.
  • Flood exposure to check address by address, especially near the floodplain.

Overview

Gualtieri is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,281 residents, ranked 24 of 42 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gualtieri is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (34 of 42) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.104 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 5.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gualtieri declared an average taxable income of 24,876 euros, below the provincial average (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gualtieri is in climate zone E, with 2,434 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 22 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gualtieri has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 11.8% of the land in Gualtieri, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gualtieri 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Gualtieri. 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 Gualtieri: 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 Gualtieri 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 48 inhabited census areas in Gualtieri. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.3%
  • fair 59.2%
  • good 36.5%

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 035023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.