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Padova: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Padova

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 Monta' 3, Padova.

Padova, city of the Saint and the University

Padova (Padua) is a city of students and pilgrims. Its University, founded in 1222, is one of the oldest in the world and counted Galileo among its teachers, while the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, known locally simply as il Santo, draws the faithful from far and wide. Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel belong to the UNESCO site of fourteenth-century fresco cycles, and the university's Botanical Garden has been on the World Heritage list since 1997. The city spreads across the plain about forty kilometres from Venezia (Venice).

The services data are those of a centre serving a wide area: 178 schools, or 0.86 per 1,000 residents against 0.82 for the province, 254 healthcare facilities and 241 sports facilities, all above the provincial rate per head. There are 1,120 bars and restaurants.

At the end of 2023 Padova had 207,502 residents, almost the same as in 2011 (+0.6%) and 22.3% of the province's population. The estimated average age is 47.5 against 46.5 provincially; 26.6% of residents are over 65 and 16.6% are foreign nationals. Households are small, with 1.99 people on average.

Padova is in seismic zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, as are 89 municipalities in its province; another 12 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.084 g, a moderate value, so for historic palazzi and apartment blocks built before the latest rules it is still worth asking about the structure. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the plot from the address. Canals, rivers and low-lying land make flood hazard vary from one neighbourhood to another: the report checks it at the address, as it does local price ranges.

Key points

  • 207,502 residents, almost unchanged since 2011.
  • Schools: 0.86 per 1,000 residents against 0.82 provincially.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.084 g.
  • Flood hazard and prices read address by address.

Overview

Padova is the capital of the province of Padova, in Veneto. At the end of 2023 it had 207,502 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 22% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Padova is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (89 of 101) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.084 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 16.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Padova declared an average taxable income of 31,270 euros, above the provincial average (26,932 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Padova is in climate zone E, with 2,383 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 12 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Padova has 178 schools and 65 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 84 grocery shops and supermarkets, 254 healthcare facilities, 241 sports facilities and 57 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 49.7% of the land in Padova, compared with 18.7% in the province and 11.9% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 11.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Padova is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Veneto in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 45 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Padova, and 105 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 Padova: 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 Padova 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 1,757 inhabited census areas in Padova. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.8%
  • fair 37.5%
  • good 60.1%
  • very good 0.6%

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

ISTAT code 028060. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.