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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.

Liveability index free for any address

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 Emilia Parmense 1, Piacenza.

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.

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.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Piacenza declared an average taxable income of 28,855 euros, above the provincial average (26,934 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Piacenza is in climate zone E, with 2,715 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 61 metres above sea level.

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, 108 healthcare facilities, 105 sports facilities and 17 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 26.1% of the land in Piacenza, compared with 7.7% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Piacenza 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 7 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Piacenza, and 15 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 Piacenza: 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 Piacenza 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 960 inhabited census areas in Piacenza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.0%
  • fair 14.8%
  • good 59.1%
  • very good 25.1%

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 033032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.