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Medicina: 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 Medicina

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 San Vitale Ovest 45, Medicina.

Medicina, farmland and radio telescopes east of Bologna

Medicina is a large, thinly built municipality on the plain between Bologna and Imola, north of the Via Emilia. Only a small share of its land is covered by buildings and roads; the rest is fields, drainage canals and scattered villages such as Villa Fontana and Ganzanigo. Out in the countryside stands the radio astronomy station of Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics, with the large antennas of the Northern Cross telescope.

The main town holds the shops, schools and services, while the outlying villages are made of detached houses, old farmhouses and small blocks. Medicina has no railway station, so Bologna and Imola are reached by car or bus, and it is worth trying the journey at the times you would actually make it. The report shows how far pharmacies, schools and supermarkets are from each address, a distance that varies a lot in such a spread-out place.

In 2023 there were 16,720 residents, up 1.2% since 2011. Medicina is a little younger than the province: estimated average age 45.9 against 46.6, over-65s at 23.8% against 24.8%. Foreign residents are 8.9%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial figure, which the city of Bologna lifts.

For earthquakes, the national classification puts Medicina in seismic zone 2, together with 11 other municipalities in the province; the remaining 43 are in zone 3. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.185 g, a medium value. Before buying a restored farmhouse or a 1970s house, find out when it was built and whether any structural work has been done.

The plain is low and shaped by canals, so flood hazard can differ from one farm to the next; the report reads it on the official maps for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps, so the plot can be found as well.

Key points

  • Farmland between Bologna and Imola, home to INAF radio telescopes.
  • 16,720 residents, up 1.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.185 g.
  • No railway station: test the commute before buying.

Overview

Medicina is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 16,720 residents, ranked 12 of 55 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Medicina 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 0.185 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Medicina, 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 1.2%. 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 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Medicina declared an average taxable income of 25,455 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Medicina is in climate zone E, with 2,261 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, Medicina has 11 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 6.0% of the land in Medicina, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 8.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Medicina 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 no open contaminated sites in Medicina; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Medicina: 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 Medicina 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 124 inhabited census areas in Medicina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 8.1%
  • fair 66.0%
  • good 26.0%

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 037037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.