Novi di Modena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Novi di Modena
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 Chiesa Sud 1, Novi di Modena.
Novi di Modena, lowlands between Carpi and the Mantua border
At the far northern tip of the province of Modena, where the plain reaches the border with Lombardy, the municipality of Novi brings together three villages: Novi, Rovereto sulla Secchia and Sant'Antonio in Mercadello. Carpi lies just to the south, and daily life leans on it for work, secondary schools and services.
The earthquakes of May 2012 hit these villages harder than almost anywhere else: Novi and Rovereto were among the worst affected, with churches and many homes damaged or destroyed. Since then a large share of the housing has been repaired or rebuilt to earthquake-resistant standards. For a buyer that is an advantage, provided the paperwork confirms it. Ask for the reconstruction file, the structural sign-off and details of the work, because a strengthened house and one left as it was are very different. The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale from 1 (highest hazard) to 4, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.143 g.
The population has not yet recovered. At the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 10,165 residents, down 7.4% on 2011, or 807 fewer people. The mean age of 47.4 is above the provincial figure and 26.3% are over 65. Foreign residents make up 15.6%, a high share even for Emilia. Declared incomes are below the provincial average, and recorded services are thinner: 6 school buildings and 4 supermarkets.
The second issue is water. The Secchia river runs along the eastern side of the municipality, near Rovereto, between high embankments, and the countryside is crossed by drainage channels. The report reads the official flood hazard maps for the address; for ground-floor homes, also ask whether they have ever flooded.
Winters are cold and foggy (climate zone E). The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report finds the plot from the address.
Key points
- Novi, Rovereto sulla Secchia and Sant'Antonio, just north of Carpi.
- Hit by the 2012 earthquakes, now seismic zone 3: ask for the files.
- Population down 7.4% since 2011; 15.6% foreign residents.
- Secchia river and channels: check flood hazard.
Overview
Novi di Modena is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 10,165 residents, ranked 19 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Novi di Modena is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 47) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.143 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 7.4%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (46). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 15.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Novi di Modena declared an average taxable income of 23,131 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Novi di Modena is in climate zone E, with 2,197 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 21 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Novi di Modena has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 9.6% of the land in Novi di Modena, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Novi di Modena 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Novi di Modena, and 7 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 Novi di Modena: 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 Novi di Modena 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 85 inhabited census areas in Novi di Modena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.9%
- fair 66.5%
- good 31.7%
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 036028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.