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Portomaggiore: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Portomaggiore

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 Quartiere Runco 1, Portomaggiore.

Portomaggiore, reclaimed land and railways in the Ferrara plain

Much of the countryside around Portomaggiore was once covered by lagoons and marshes, drained by land reclamation. Today it is a plain of rectangular fields, canals and pumping stations, only a few metres above sea level, between Ferrara and Argenta. In the hamlet of Gambulaga stands the Delizia del Verginese, one of the country residences of the Este family, the dukes who ruled Ferrara.

If you do not drive, Portomaggiore has an advantage that is rare for a town of its size. The station is on the line from Ferrara down to Ravenna and Rimini, and the line from Bologna via Budrio also ends here. People working in Ferrara or Bologna can manage without a car, at least for the main journey. Housing is mostly homes in the centre, detached houses and small blocks of flats, plus old farmhouses scattered through the hamlets and the countryside.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 11,996 residents in 2023, down 1.6% on 2011, much as across the province. The estimated average age is 48.4 against 49.2 in the province of Ferrara, one of the oldest in Italy, and over-65s make up 28.6%. Foreign residents are 21.4%, a high share, and households are small, 2.10 people on average. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The May 2012 earthquake hit mainly the west of the province, around Bondeno, Cento and Sant'Agostino. Portomaggiore is in seismic zone 3, like 20 of the 21 municipalities in the province, but its expected ground acceleration, about 0.151 g, is among the highest in this band. Soft lowland soils can amplify shaking, so for a brick building or one from the 1960s or 1970s a structural survey is money well spent.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report finds the plot. The land stays dry thanks to the drainage board's pumping stations, and after very heavy rain the network can struggle, so the report checks the official flood maps at the address.

Key points

  • Station on the Ferrara to Ravenna line, end of the line from Bologna.
  • Population down 1.6% since 2011; foreign residents 21.4%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.151 g.
  • Reclaimed plain barely above sea level: flooding checked by address.

Overview

Portomaggiore is a municipality in the province of Ferrara, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 11,996 residents, ranked 7 of 21 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Portomaggiore is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (20 of 21) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.151 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 1.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 21.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Portomaggiore declared an average taxable income of 21,341 euros, below the provincial average (24,414 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Portomaggiore is in climate zone E, with 2,272 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Portomaggiore has 5 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).

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 5.5% of the land in Portomaggiore, compared with 7.2% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Portomaggiore 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 no open contaminated sites in Portomaggiore; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Portomaggiore: 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 Portomaggiore 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 81 inhabited census areas in Portomaggiore. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.3%
  • fair 61.0%
  • good 36.7%

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 038019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.