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Marzabotto: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Marzabotto

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 Porrettana Sud 1, Marzabotto.

Marzabotto, the Reno valley and Monte Sole

Marzabotto stretches along the Reno valley in the Apennines south of Bologna, between the valley floor, followed by the Porrettana railway and the main road, and the wooded ridges rising towards Monte Sole. The name is tied to the Nazi and Fascist massacre of autumn 1944, remembered today by the Monte Sole Historical Park, and to the excavations of Kainua, an Etruscan city whose regular street grid can still be traced.

The municipality is made up of several centres. The main village and the valley-floor hamlets, such as Lama di Reno and Pian di Venola, have a railway station and basic services; scattered houses on the hills are reached by narrow roads that need more care in winter. For anyone working in Bologna the train is often the easiest option, and the report shows the distance from each address to the nearest stop.

The population is 6,871 (2023), up 2.8% since the 2011 census. Average age (46.9) and the share of over-65s (24.9%) are in line with the wider metropolitan area, foreign residents make up 11.5%, and average incomes are below those of the Bologna area.

For earthquakes the town is in seismic zone 3 of the national classification, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.161 g in the built-up area; across the Bologna area 12 municipalities are in zone 2. On Apennine slopes, though, landslides are the more practical concern: houses and roads built on a slope need checking one by one, and the report does this from the address using the official hazard maps. Along the Reno, flood hazard should be checked too.

If you are considering a stone house to restore on the hills, bring a surveyor to the very first viewing: walls, roof and access for building vehicles decide what the work will really cost.

Key points

  • Reno valley, with the Porrettana railway to Bologna.
  • Monte Sole Historical Park and the Etruscan city of Kainua.
  • Population up 2.8% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3; landslides to check on the slopes.

Overview

Marzabotto is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,871 residents, ranked 33 of 55 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Marzabotto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (43 of 55) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.161 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 grown by 2.8%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Marzabotto declared an average taxable income of 25,731 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Marzabotto is in climate zone E, with 2,341 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 130 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Marzabotto has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.9 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 5.3% of the land in Marzabotto, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Marzabotto 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 Marzabotto. 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 Marzabotto: 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 Marzabotto 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 74 inhabited census areas in Marzabotto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 34.1%
  • fair 53.3%
  • good 12.5%

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 037036. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.