Imola: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Imola
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 Montanara 1, Imola.
Imola, the racetrack, the Santerno and the first hills
Imola stands where the Via Emilia crosses the river Santerno, between Bologna and Romagna: officially it belongs to the province of Bologna, but in character and dialect it looks towards Faenza. Its name is known worldwide thanks to the Enzo e Dino Ferrari racetrack, built along the river right next to the centre. The Sforza fortress and the straight streets of the old town, which still follow the Roman grid, tell the story of the older city.
For anyone working in Bologna there are the railway to Ancona and the A14 motorway, with a station and a junction in town. To the south the plain gives way to hills with scattered houses, vineyards and farms; to the north lie farming villages on the plain such as Sesto Imolese and Sasso Morelli. Old-town flats, suburban villas and hill farmhouses are separate markets with separate issues.
The floods of May 2023 hit this area too, so badly that the Formula 1 Grand Prix due that month was cancelled. If you are looking at homes near the Santerno, the streams or the canals, check flood hazard carefully for the address, and landslide hazard in the hills.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 69,332 residents in 2023, up 2.1% on 2011. Over-65s make up 25.5%, just above the province, and foreign residents 10.4%. There are 74 sports facilities on record, 1.07 per 1,000 residents against 0.95 in the province.
The seismic figure deserves attention here. Imola is in seismic zone 2, while 43 municipalities in the province of Bologna are in the lower zone 3, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.205 g, high for the region. For a palazzo in the old town or a 1960s apartment block, ask for structural surveys and details of any work already done.
Key points
- Racetrack, Sforza fortress and hills south of the Via Emilia.
- 2023 floods: check flood hazard for the address.
- 69,332 residents, up 2.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.205 g.
Overview
Imola is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 69,332 residents, the second most populous in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Imola is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 12 of 55 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.205 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Imola, 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 2.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 10.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Imola declared an average taxable income of 27,439 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Imola is in climate zone E, with 2,292 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 47 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Imola has 52 schools and 21 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 39 grocery shops and supermarkets, 50 healthcare facilities, 74 sports facilities and 14 parks and green areas.
There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).
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 12.2% of the land in Imola, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 9.3 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Imola 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 Imola, and 9 more have 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 Imola: 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 Imola 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 809 inhabited census areas in Imola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 2.3%
- fair 48.1%
- good 49.6%
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 037032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.