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Palagano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Palagano

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 Panoramica 1, Palagano.

Palagano, the Dragone valley in the Modena Apennines

Palagano is a municipality in the Modena Apennines, in the valley of the Dragone stream, in the mountain area locals call the Frignano. The town hall is at around 700 metres, and the territory is split into many hamlets among chestnut woods, meadows and small stone villages. Sassuolo and the plain are reached on mountain roads, and for many services people go to the larger towns in the valley.

Buying here often means choosing a stone house, a rustic building or a flat in the village, at prices far from those of the Emilian plain. The costs to budget for matter, though: roofs, insulation and heating in climate zone F, the coldest category, and the access road in winter. Some houses are used as summer second homes.

Istat, the national statistics office, describes an ageing municipality: 2,030 residents in 2023, down 13.8% since 2011, an average age of 50.5 against 45.8 in the province, and 31.1% over 65 against 23.7%. Foreign residents make up 9.1%. Declared incomes are below the Modena average.

The ground is typical of the Apennines, with its slopes. The report reads the official landslide maps for the address, and it is worth combining them with a site visit to look at retaining walls and drainage. The seismic zone is 3 and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.162 g; in stone houses, the thickness and condition of the walls and the weight of the roof are what count.

Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published, and the report goes down to the plot.

Key points

  • Modena Apennines, Dragone valley, in the Frignano.
  • Average age 50.5, 31.1% over 65.
  • Slopes: official landslide maps for the address.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.162 g.

Overview

Palagano is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 2,030 residents, among the smallest in the province (42 of 47).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palagano 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 0.162 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 fallen by 13.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 9.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palagano declared an average taxable income of 22,053 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Palagano is in climate zone F, with 3,186 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 703 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palagano has 6 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

There are 3.0 schools 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 5.1% of the land in Palagano, 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

Palagano is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Emilia-Romagna in 2026. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. 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 contaminated sites in Palagano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palagano: 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 Palagano 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 56 inhabited census areas in Palagano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 55.5%
  • good 15.4%
  • very good 29.1%

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 036029. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.