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Ranica: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Bergamo, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ranica

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 Guglielmo Marconi 1, Ranica.

Ranica, at the mouth of the Seriana valley on the tram line

Heading north-east out of Bergamo, Ranica is one of the towns at the mouth of the Val Seriana. It lies on the bank of the river Serio, squeezed between Torre Boldone and Alzano Lombardo, with hills behind and a valley floor that is now almost entirely built up. The tram line linking Bergamo with Albino, laid on the route of the old valley railway, runs through town and gets you into the city without a car.

It is a residential municipality where average declared incomes are well above the provincial figure. Homes are mostly villas and detached houses on the slopes, blocks of flats from the 1960s and 70s on the valley floor, and some new developments on land freed up by the valley's old factories. People buy here to be close to Bergamo without the traffic of the centre, and prices reflect that. It is in climate zone E.

The population is steady and on the older side: 5,885 residents in 2023, 1.7% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 47.9 against 45.2 for the province, and over-65s reach 27.4% (provincially, 22.5%). Foreign residents are 5.3%, fewer than in the towns on the plain.

Like the whole province of Bergamo, Ranica is classed in seismic zone 3 by the Protezione Civile (Italy's Civil Protection Department). Expected acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.111 g. In villas and flats built before seismic regulations, ask for the certificate of habitability and any structural surveys before buying, particularly if you plan to add a floor or renovate.

The Serio and the streams coming off the hills are what to watch for flooding, and the slopes for landslides. The report checks both at the address, starting from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, which are available for Ranica.

Key points

  • At the mouth of the Val Seriana, on the Bergamo to Albino tram.
  • Average incomes well above the provincial figure.
  • 5,885 residents, over-65s at 27.4%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.111 g.

Overview

Ranica is a municipality in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,885 residents, ranked 58 of 243 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ranica is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 243 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.111 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 fallen by 1.7%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ranica declared an average taxable income of 30,809 euros, above the provincial average (26,939 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ranica is in climate zone E, with 2,486 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 293 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ranica has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Ranica.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 31.7% of the land in Ranica, compared with 12.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ranica is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Ranica, and one more has 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 Ranica: 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 Ranica 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 26 inhabited census areas in Ranica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 32.7%
  • good 67.3%

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 016178. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.