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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.

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: Via Dante 7, Milan.

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 (0.43 per 1,000 residents against 0.61), while healthcare facilities, at 158, 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Parma.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

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.

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 86 grocery shops and supermarkets, 158 healthcare facilities, 174 sports facilities and 37 parks and green areas.

There are 0.8 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Parma: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

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