Riolunato: 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
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Search for an address in Riolunato
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 Giardini 1, Riolunato.
Riolunato, a mountain village in the high Modena Apennines
Snow is a normal part of winter in Riolunato. The village lies in the high Apennines of the province of Modena, not far from Monte Cimone, in heating zone F: long winters, the heating on for many months and roads that need care on icy days. For a buyer, the cost of heating the house and the state of its insulation matter as much as the price.
The village also lives on visitors, who come in summer for the woods and footpaths and in winter for the snow. The service data shows it: bars and restaurants number 10.46 per 1,000 residents, well above the provincial average of 4.56. Someone looking for a holiday home and someone planning to live here all year will weigh different things, though: the second needs to allow for trips to larger towns for secondary schools, hospital care and work.
In 2023 there were 669 residents, down 11.9% on 2011. The average age is 51.5, against 45.8 in the province of Modena, and over-65s make up 33.9% of residents, compared with 23.7% in the province. Foreign residents are 7.8%. Average declared income is lower than the provincial figure.
Riolunato is in seismic zone 3, like 39 other municipalities in the province, while 7 in the province are in zone 2. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.183 g. In stone houses it is worth having the roof and floors checked, since in the mountains they also carry the weight of snow, and asking what structural work has been carried out.
On Apennine slopes the exact location makes a difference: gradient, altitude and landslide hazard are read for the address on the official maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps here, and the report finds the land parcel.
Key points
- High Modena Apennines, heating zone F: long winters and snow.
- Bars and restaurants: 10.46 per 1,000 residents.
- Over-65s at 33.9%, against 23.7% in the province.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.183 g.
Overview
Riolunato is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 669 residents, among the smallest in the province (47 of 47).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Riolunato 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 0.183 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 11.9%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (46). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Riolunato declared an average taxable income of 22,838 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Riolunato is in climate zone F, with 3,189 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 705 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Riolunato has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.
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 3.2% of the land in Riolunato, 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
Riolunato 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 contaminated sites in Riolunato.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Riolunato: 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 Riolunato 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 28 inhabited census areas in Riolunato. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 37.3%
- good 62.7%
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
- 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 036035. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.