Sala Baganza: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Parma, 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 Sala Baganza
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 Ferdinando Maestri 1, Sala Baganza.
Sala Baganza, a castle and the Carrega woods above Parma
Sala Baganza is the first step up into the hills south-west of Parma, along the Baganza stream, about twenty minutes from the city. The town has the Rocca Sanvitale, a castle that belonged to the Sanvitale family and later to the Dukes of Parma, and behind it stretches the Boschi di Carrega regional park, shared with neighbouring Collecchio.
The population is growing. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,949 residents in 2023, up 10.3% on 2011, or 557 more people. Newcomers are mostly families working in Parma who want a house with a garden close by. The average age of 45.1 is below the provincial figure, over-65s make up 21.9% and foreign residents 14.7%. Average incomes are higher than in the province as a whole.
The housing stock is mostly detached and semi-detached houses and small blocks built over recent decades around the centre, plus a few farmhouses on the hills towards the Baganza valley. There is no railway, so Parma is reached by car or bus. The town is in climate zone E.
Sala Baganza is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like most of the province (37 municipalities), while 7 municipalities in the Parma Apennines are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.156 g, not a low figure for zone 3. Even for a recent house it is worth asking for the structural design; for a restored farmhouse, ask what work was done on the walls, floors and roof.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address. Near the Baganza and the ditches coming down from the hills, flood hazard varies from spot to spot, and on the slopes landslide hazard matters: both are checked for the individual address.
Key points
- A castle and the Carrega woods park, twenty minutes from Parma.
- Population up 10.3% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.156 g.
- Average incomes above the provincial figure.
Overview
Sala Baganza is a municipality in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 5,949 residents, ranked 19 of 44 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sala Baganza is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (37 of 44) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.156 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 10.3%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 14.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sala Baganza declared an average taxable income of 29,954 euros, above the provincial average (28,491 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Sala Baganza is in climate zone E, with 2,664 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 162 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sala Baganza has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 8 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.2 healthcare facilities 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 10.3% of the land in Sala Baganza, compared with 7.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Sala Baganza 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 Sala Baganza; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sala Baganza: 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 Sala Baganza 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 47 inhabited census areas in Sala Baganza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 37.8%
- good 62.2%
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 034031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.