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Ravenna: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ravenna

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 Cella 10, Ravenna.

Ravenna, the city of mosaics

Ravenna was capital of the Western Roman Empire, then of Theodoric's kingdom and of Byzantine Italy, and from those centuries it keeps the mosaics of San Vitale, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, all part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dante is buried here. Today the city also lives off its port, linked to the sea by a long canal, and its beaches: the municipal area, one of the largest in Italy, reaches all the way to the Adriatic.

Ravenna's seismic classification is unusual. It is the only municipality in its province in zone 3, while the other 17 are all in zone 2. The estimate for the built-up area, about 0.163 g, nonetheless exceeds the 0.15 g threshold national criteria use for zone 2, so the lower class should not be read as negligible hazard. Before buying, ask when the building was designed and what structural work has been done.

At the end of 2023 there were 156,304 residents, 1.7% more than in 2011 and 40.4% of a province of just 18 municipalities. The estimated average age is 47.7, 25.8% of residents are over 65 against 24.7% regionally, 11.4% are foreign nationals, and households average about 2.1 people.

The services data count 1,048 bars and restaurants, 180 sports facilities, 94 schools and 53 pharmacies. Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cover the whole municipality, and the report identifies the plot from the address. Across such a large territory, stretching from the historic centre through reclaimed farmland to the coast, flood hazard, distance from the sea and local prices vary enormously: they need to be read for the individual address, which is exactly what the report does.

Key points

  • The only municipality in its province in seismic zone 3; the other 17 are in zone 2.
  • Expected ground acceleration about 0.163 g.
  • 156,304 residents, 40.4% of the province.
  • A vast area from historic centre to coast: data to be read per address.

Overview

Ravenna is the capital of the province of Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 156,304 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 40% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ravenna is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. It is the only municipality in the province in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.163 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 grown by 1.7%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 11.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ravenna declared an average taxable income of 25,880 euros, in line with the province (25,184 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ravenna is in climate zone E, with 2,227 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 4 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ravenna has 94 schools and 53 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 76 grocery shops and supermarkets, 85 healthcare facilities, 180 sports facilities and 45 parks and green areas.

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 11.6% of the land in Ravenna, compared with 10.5% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 76.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ravenna 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 20 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Ravenna, and 107 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 Ravenna: 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 Ravenna 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 2,329 inhabited census areas in Ravenna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 6.7%
  • fair 43.7%
  • good 49.6%

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

ISTAT code 039014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.