Piacenza: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Search for an address in Piacenza
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.
Piacenza, Emilia's gateway on the Po
Piacenza is the first city of Emilia for anyone arriving from Milano (Milan). It stands on the right bank of the Po, where the Romans founded the colony of Placentia in 218 BC, and it was the starting point of the Via Emilia road towards Rimini. The centre is built around Piazza Cavalli, with its equestrian statues of the Farnese dukes and the Gothic town hall, and the closeness of Milano and the main motorways has turned the area into a logistics hub.
At the end of 2023 Piacenza had 102,887 residents, 2.6% more than in 2011, and the city holds 36.1% of the province's inhabitants. The estimated average age is 46, against 46.7 across the province, and 24.7% of residents are over 65, exactly the regional average. With 18.9% foreign residents, Piacenza has the highest share among Emilia-Romagna's provincial capitals; households average about 2.1 people.
Seismic hazard is moderate and uniform: all 46 municipalities in the province are in zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.093 g. That is the lowest figure among the region's provincial capitals, but for a historic palazzo or an ageing apartment block it is still sensible to ask when it was designed and what structural work has been done.
Relative to population, Piacenza has more schools, healthcare facilities and sports facilities than the provincial average: 70, 93 and 99 respectively in the data. The official register lists 32 pharmacies. For every address the report works out the cadastral plot, since the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes maps for the municipality. The city lies between the Po and tributaries coming down from the Apennines, such as the Trebbia, so flood hazard can vary a lot from one area to another and has to be read for the individual address, along with landslide hazard and local price ranges.
Key points
- 102,887 residents, up 2.6% since 2011.
- 18.9% foreign residents, the highest share among Emilia-Romagna's provincial capitals.
- All 46 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 3.
- Schools, healthcare and sports facilities above the provincial rate per head.
Overview
Piacenza is the capital of the province of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 102,887 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 36% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Piacenza is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 46 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.093 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 Piacenza.
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 2.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 18.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Piacenza has 79 schools and 32 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 66 grocery shops and supermarkets, 93 healthcare facilities, 99 sports facilities and 19 parks and green areas.
There are 0.9 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 Piacenza: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-08-19.0.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 033032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.