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Palanzano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Palanzano

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: Strada Val D'Enza 8, Palanzano.

Palanzano, the Parma Apennines between the Enza and the Cedra

In the upper Parma Apennines, where the Cedra stream joins the Enza, the river that separates the province of Parma from that of Reggio Emilia, lies Palanzano. The main village sits at around 700 metres, and the municipality is divided into many hamlets among woods, meadows and Apennine ridges.

Buyers here usually want a stone house in one of the hamlets, often for holidays or to live away from the city. Parma is reached by car on a mountain drive. Houses are almost all stone, many needing renovation, and winters are those of climate zone F, long and snowy, so insulation and heating must be budgeted for. Average declared income is well below the provincial figure.

In 2023 there were 1,011 residents, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 13.2% on 2011. The population is old: an average age of 54.6 against 45.8 in the province, and over-65s at 39.6% against 23.4%. Households are small, 1.68 people on average, and foreign residents make up 11.3%.

Few municipalities in the province of Parma are in seismic zone 2, 7 out of 44, and Palanzano is one of them, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.182 g. For a stone house to restore, have the strengthening of the walls assessed before buying.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality, and the report traces the land parcel from the address. On ground made of slopes like this, it always checks gradient and the official landslide maps for the exact spot.

Key points

  • Upper Parma Apennines, where the Cedra meets the Enza.
  • Average age 54.6, over-65s at 39.6%.
  • Seismic zone 2: only 7 of 44 in the province.
  • Stone houses to restore, climate zone F winters.

Overview

Palanzano is a municipality in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 1,011 residents, among the smallest in the province (39 of 44).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palanzano is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 7 of 44 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.182 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Palanzano, 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 fallen by 13.2%. The estimated average age is 55 years, higher than the province average (46). 40% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palanzano declared an average taxable income of 22,788 euros, below the provincial average (28,491 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Palanzano is in climate zone F, with 3,432 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 691 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palanzano has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

There are 3.0 schools per 1,000 residents, more 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 3.1% of the land in Palanzano, compared with 7.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Palanzano 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 contaminated sites in Palanzano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palanzano: 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 Palanzano 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 27 inhabited census areas in Palanzano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 034026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.