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Polinago: 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 Polinago

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 Valrossenna 1, Polinago.

Polinago, Modena's mountains in the Frignano

Polinago is a municipality in the Modena Apennines, in the Frignano area, with its main village at around 800 metres and hamlets spread over ridges and valleys. The landscape is chestnut and beech woods, meadows and fields; the nearest town for services and secondary schools is Pavullo nel Frignano, while Modena and Sassuolo mean a longer drive.

Buying here means choosing the mountains: stone houses in the hamlets, old rural homes, a few villas and a number of holiday homes. In climate zone F winters are long and snowy and heating is a major cost, so asking for running costs and the energy performance certificate is as useful as viewing the house. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Modena.

The population is older than average. According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 1,579 residents in 2023, down 9.4% since 2011; the average age is 51.1 against 45.8 in the province, and over-65s make up 33.1%. Foreign residents account for 10.6%.

Polinago is in seismic zone 3, like 39 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the village of 0.159 g. For a stone house, have the connections between walls, floors and roof checked.

In the Emilian Apennines clay soils make slopes prone to movement, so before buying, the report measures the gradient and reads the official landslide maps at the address. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are available.

Key points

  • Modena Apennines, in the Frignano, around 800 metres.
  • Long winters: check heating and running costs.
  • Average age 51.1, over-65s at 33.1%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.159 g.

Overview

Polinago is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 1,579 residents, among the smallest in the province (44 of 47).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Polinago 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 fallen by 9.4%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (46). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 10.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Polinago declared an average taxable income of 22,234 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Polinago is in climate zone F, with 3,341 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 810 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Polinago has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

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 5.9% of the land in Polinago, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Polinago 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 no contaminated sites in Polinago.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Polinago: 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 Polinago 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 36 inhabited census areas in Polinago. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 53 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.5%
  • fair 79.1%
  • good 18.3%

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 036032. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.