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Parma: 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 Parma

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 Langhirano 1, Parma.

Parma, a city of food and music

Parma is one of the fastest-growing provincial capitals in Italy since 2011. At the end of 2023 it had 198,121 residents, 12.6% more than at the census and the strongest increase of any provincial capital in Emilia-Romagna. It is also young for the region, with an estimated average age of 45.2 and 22.4% of residents over 65, compared with 24.7% regionally. Foreign nationals make up 17.4%, households average about 2.1 people, and the city is home to 43.6% of the province's population.

The name is inseparable from food: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Parma ham, major food companies and the headquarters of the European Food Safety Authority. Yet Parma is equally the city of the Teatro Regio opera house and of Giuseppe Verdi, who was born in the province, as well as of the cathedral and Benedetto Antelami's baptistery. It lies at the foot of the Apennines on the Via Emilia, crossed by the stream that shares its name.

For earthquakes, Parma is in seismic zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, like 37 municipalities in the province; another 7 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.144 g, is nonetheless close to 0.15 g, the level that marks the move to zone 2 under national criteria. Buyers should ask when a building was designed and what structural work has been done, particularly in the historic centre and in blocks built before recent seismic standards.

Supermarkets are less common than in the province (0.47 per 1,000 residents against 0.63), while healthcare facilities, at 198, are above average. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) provides cadastral maps, and the report derives sheet and parcel numbers (foglio and particella) from the address. Between the stream, canals and the plain, landslide and flood hazard can only be judged at the precise spot: the report does this for every address and shows prices as a range for the zone.

Key points

  • 198,121 residents, up 12.6% since 2011.
  • Estimated average age 45.2, with 22.4% over 65.
  • Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration about 0.144 g.
  • Cadastral maps available: sheet and parcel from the address.

Overview

Parma is the capital of the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 198,121 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 44% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Parma is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (37 of 44) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.144 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 grown by 12.6%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 17.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Parma declared an average taxable income of 30,956 euros, above the provincial average (28,491 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Parma is in climate zone E, with 2,502 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 57 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Parma has 123 schools and 59 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 93 grocery shops and supermarkets, 198 healthcare facilities, 188 sports facilities and 38 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 21.7% of the land in Parma, compared with 7.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 25.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Parma 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 18 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Parma, and 54 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 Parma: 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 Parma 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 1,320 inhabited census areas in Parma. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.0%
  • fair 28.8%
  • good 66.4%
  • very good 1.8%

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 034027. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.