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Guastalla: 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 Guastalla

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 delle Ville 1, Guastalla.

Guastalla, the Gonzaga town on the banks of the Po

Guastalla is the historic capital of the lowlands north of Reggio Emilia. It was the seat of a small duchy ruled by the Gonzaga family, has a co-cathedral and is one of the two seats of the diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla. The historic centre lies right against the main embankment of the Po, the great river that marks the border with Lombardy here; beyond the embankment, on the floodplain, there is a riverside park.

For a town of this size services are extensive, because Guastalla is the reference point for the surrounding lowland villages: it has the hospital, secondary schools and public offices. Open data record 0.68 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents against 0.48 in the province, and 1.09 schools against 0.83. The station is where the lines to Reggio Emilia and to Parma and Suzzara meet.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 14,627 residents in 2023, 1.1% fewer than in 2011. The population is a little older than the provincial average, with an estimated average age of 46.4 against 45.3, and foreign residents make up 12.2%. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average.

The 2012 Emilia earthquake was felt strongly across the lowlands. In the province of Reggio Emilia, 8 municipalities in the Apennines are in seismic zone 2; Guastalla is in zone 3 and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.104 g. On the soft soils of the Po plain, for a historic building or a converted industrial unit, ask what checks and strengthening have been carried out since 2012.

Water is the other issue. The town lies a few metres below the top of the embankments, close to where the Crostolo joins the Po, and the official maps grade areas by how likely flooding is: the report reads them for the individual address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the land parcel can be traced from the address.

Key points

  • Gonzaga town on the Po, with a hospital and a two-line station.
  • 0.68 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, above the province.
  • Seismic zone 3; the lowlands felt the 2012 earthquake.
  • Population down 1.1% since 2011, foreign residents 12.2%.

Overview

Guastalla is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 14,627 residents, ranked 7 of 42 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Guastalla 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 1.1%. 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 12.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Guastalla declared an average taxable income of 27,562 euros, in line with the province (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Guastalla is in climate zone E, with 2,438 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 25 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Guastalla has 16 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 17 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 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 15.0% of the land in Guastalla, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Guastalla 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 Guastalla, 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 Guastalla: 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 Guastalla 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 132 inhabited census areas in Guastalla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.4%
  • fair 42.7%
  • good 53.9%

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

ISTAT code 035024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.