Portico e San Benedetto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Portico e San Benedetto
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 Molino 1, Portico e San Benedetto.
Portico e San Benedetto, the Montone valley and the Acquacheta
The municipality has three centres along the Montone valley, in the Apennines between Romagna and Tuscany: Portico di Romagna, Bocconi and San Benedetto in Alpe. Until the 1920s it belonged to Tuscany, and from San Benedetto a footpath leads to the Acquacheta waterfall, mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy. The state road up the valley links the village to Forlì in one direction and to the pass towards Florence in the other.
For buyers, the choice lies between stone houses in the villages along the road and the valley, rural buildings scattered over the slopes, and homes used as second homes. In a narrow valley, look at sun exposure, damp and distance from the river, as well as winter access. This is climate zone E, with cold winters.
There were 757 residents in 2023, down 1.6% compared with 2011. Foreign residents make up 20.7%. The average age is 48.2 against 46.8 in the province of Forlì-Cesena, and over-65s account for 30.0%, against 25.2%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.
All 30 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2, and here the expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.209 g, a high value. For stone houses in the villages, ask whether walls and floors have been strengthened and tied together, and see the paperwork for the work.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report goes from the address to the land parcel. Along the Montone and on the Apennine slopes, flood and landslide hazard are checked on the official maps for the precise address.
Key points
- Three villages in the Montone valley, in the Apennines.
- From San Benedetto, the path to the Acquacheta waterfall.
- Population down 1.6% since 2011, foreign residents 20.7%.
- Whole province in seismic zone 2: about 0.209 g here.
Overview
Portico e San Benedetto is a municipality in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 757 residents, among the smallest in the province (29 of 30).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Portico e San Benedetto is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 30 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.209 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Portico e San Benedetto, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 1.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 20.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Portico e San Benedetto declared an average taxable income of 20,161 euros, below the provincial average (24,445 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Portico e San Benedetto is in climate zone E, with 2,541 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 301 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Portico e San Benedetto has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 3 parks and green areas.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 1.8% of the land in Portico e San Benedetto, compared with 7.4% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Portico e San Benedetto 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 Portico e San Benedetto.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Portico e San Benedetto: 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 Portico e San Benedetto 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 18 inhabited census areas in Portico e San Benedetto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 18.4%
- fair 81.6%
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
- 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 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Emilia-Romagna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 040031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.