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Pavullo nel Frignano: 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 Pavullo nel Frignano

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 Giardini Sud 1, Pavullo nel Frignano.

Pavullo nel Frignano, a plateau in the Modena Apennines

Just under seven hundred metres up, on a broad plateau in the Modena Apennines, Pavullo stretches along the main road that climbs from Modena towards the Abetone pass. It is the chief town of the Frignano, the mountain part of the province, and provides the hospital, secondary schools, offices and shops for the surrounding villages. The plateau also has a small airfield used for gliding and light aviation.

The climate is mountain climate, in the coldest national heating band (zone F), with long winters and frequent snow, so heating, insulation and winter access to the house are the first things to check. The main town is compact, with apartment blocks, detached houses and a central area of services. The villages are scattered along ridges and valley floors, with stone houses and rural buildings to restore. The Modena Apennines are largely clay and unstable ground is widespread, so the report compares the address with the official landslide maps and measures the slope of the plot.

Unlike many mountain municipalities, Pavullo is growing. In 2023 there were 18,268 residents, up 6.2% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, with an estimated average age of 45.5, in line with the province. Foreign nationals make up 14.1%, a high share for an Apennine town. Supermarkets, cafés and restaurants are more numerous per resident than the provincial average, since they also serve nearby villages and weekend visitors from the plain. Declared incomes are below the Modena average.

In the province of Modena 7 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 40, Pavullo among them, in zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's classification. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.159 g. For stone farmhouses and homes built on sloping ground, get a survey of the structure and foundations before buying, because cracks and settlement can come from the ground as much as from the building. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Main town of the Frignano, just under seven hundred metres up.
  • Cold mountain climate: heating and insulation matter a lot.
  • Residents up 6.2%, foreign nationals at 14.1%.
  • Seismic zone 3; clay soils, landslides checked by plot.

Overview

Pavullo nel Frignano is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 18,268 residents, ranked 8 of 47 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pavullo nel Frignano 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 0.159 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 grown by 6.2%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 14.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pavullo nel Frignano declared an average taxable income of 24,779 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pavullo nel Frignano is in climate zone F, with 3,348 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 682 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pavullo nel Frignano has 15 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 13 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 7.5% of the land in Pavullo nel Frignano, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 12.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pavullo nel Frignano 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pavullo nel Frignano, and one more has 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 Pavullo nel Frignano: 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 Pavullo nel Frignano 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 141 inhabited census areas in Pavullo nel Frignano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 21.1%
  • fair 62.7%
  • good 16.2%

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 036030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.