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Mede: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Pavia, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Mede

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: Corso Vittorio Veneto 1, Mede.

Mede, rice fields of Lomellina near the Piedmont border

Mede is one of the larger towns in southern Lomellina, the rice-growing plain between the rivers Ticino, Po and Sesia in the province of Pavia. The border with Piedmont is close: Valenza and Casale Monferrato are easier to reach than Pavia, the provincial capital, and a good share of commuting and shopping heads that way.

The countryside is flat and criss-crossed by irrigation ditches that flood the paddies in spring. If you are looking at a farmhouse or an isolated house, expect mosquitoes in summer, fog in winter and long drives on minor roads. In town there are old courtyard houses and blocks of flats from the 1960s and 70s, often in need of energy upgrades; this is climate zone E, with cold, damp winters.

The municipality has a railway station, and in the open timetables 2 lines, rail and bus together, serve its stops. Milan is too far for an easy daily commute, and most trips are made by car.

Population is the weak point. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 6,068 residents in 2023, 844 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 12.2%. Over-65s are 28.9% of residents, against 25.2% in the province and 23.5% in Lombardy, and households are small, 2.20 people on average. Foreign nationals make up 9.4%. A market with many homes for sale and few buyers leaves room to negotiate, but reselling later may take time.

Earthquake risk is low. Mede is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department classification, with 156 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.051 g. In courtyard houses, rising damp, roofs and wiring matter more. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report goes from the address to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Rice-growing plain of Lomellina, close to Piedmont.
  • 6,068 residents in 2023, down 12.2% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 28.9%, against 23.5% in Lombardy.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.051 g.

Overview

Mede is a municipality in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 6,068 residents, among the most populous in the province (18 of 184).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mede is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (157 of 184) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.051 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 12.2%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mede declared an average taxable income of 24,476 euros, below the provincial average (26,290 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mede is in climate zone E, with 2,619 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 93 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mede has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 7 sports facilities.

There are 0.7 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.9).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 bus line, 1 train line. That is about 0.2 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 7.3% of the land in Mede, compared with 9.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Mede is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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 Mede; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mede: 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 Mede 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 38 inhabited census areas in Mede. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 7.9%
  • good 69.8%
  • very good 22.3%

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 018088. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.