Rubiera: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, 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 Rubiera
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 Emilia Ovest 1, Rubiera.
Rubiera, on the Secchia between Reggio Emilia and Modena
Rubiera is the last municipality in the province of Reggio Emilia before Modena: the Via Emilia runs through it and, once over the bridge across the Secchia, you are already in Modena's province. That border position shapes much of local life, since residents often work in Reggio, Modena or the ceramic tile district that begins just to the south.
The station on the Milan to Bologna line is served by regional trains and reaches both cities in a few minutes. The historic centre is small and gathered around the Via Emilia; the rest of the town is made up of estates of detached houses and small blocks of flats, with workshops on the edges. Open data record 1.29 sports facilities per 1,000 residents, against 0.79 in the province, while supermarkets are few and many people do their main shopping out of town.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 14,764 residents in 2023, up 2.4% on 2011. The estimated average age of 45.1 is in line with the province; over-65s make up 21.1% and foreign residents 9.9%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.
The river is the first thing to look at. The Secchia runs east of the town, and upstream there are flood detention basins built to hold back high water; the Tresinaro stream joins it nearby. The report checks on the official maps whether the address lies in a flood-prone area, and how likely flooding is.
In the province, 8 municipalities in the Apennines are in seismic zone 2. Rubiera is in zone 3 with 33 others, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.161 g, a middling value. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the land parcel can be traced from the address.
Key points
- Via Emilia and a station between Reggio and Modena, tile district nearby.
- Population up 2.4% since 2011, foreign residents 9.9%.
- Near the Secchia: flood risk to check for each address.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.161 g.
Overview
Rubiera is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 14,764 residents, ranked 6 of 42 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rubiera is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (34 of 42) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.161 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 2.4%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 9.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rubiera declared an average taxable income of 28,782 euros, above the provincial average (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Rubiera is in climate zone E, with 2,419 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 53 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rubiera has 11 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities, 19 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 23.1% of the land in Rubiera, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.0 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Rubiera 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Rubiera, and 4 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 Rubiera: 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 Rubiera 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 50 inhabited census areas in Rubiera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 9.4%
- fair 62.5%
- good 28.1%
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 035036. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.