San Cesario sul Panaro: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Cesario sul Panaro
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 Sant'Anna 11, San Cesario sul Panaro.
San Cesario sul Panaro, between Modena and the Vignola hills
The Panaro comes down from the Apennines, passes Vignola and Spilamberto and enters the plain around Modena: San Cesario sits right there on its bank, where the countryside begins to open out between Modena and Castelfranco Emilia. The town is gathered around the Romanesque basilica named after its saint, the town's main monument.
Modena is about fifteen kilometres away and Bologna is not far, and most residents who work elsewhere split between the two cities and the industrial areas along the foot of the hills. There is no station in the town: the most convenient is Castelfranco Emilia, on the Bologna-Modena line. Homes are mainly detached and semi-detached houses and recent low-rise flats, with a few farmhouses out among the orchards and vineyards. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
San Cesario is one of the growing towns in the province of Modena. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 6,583 residents in 2023, 7.6% more than in 2011, or 466 extra people. The average age (45.7) and the share of over-65s (23.3%) are almost identical to the provincial figures. Foreign residents make up 9.4%. There are 10 sports facilities, more per head than the provincial average.
In the province of Modena, 7 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 40 in zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, San Cesario among them, although here the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area reaches about 0.162 g, high for this zone. For farmhouses and blocks of flats built before the latest rules, ask whether the structure has been assessed and whether any work has been done on it.
The Panaro rises quickly in flood and is embanked across the plain. For homes closest to the river and those in low-lying areas, flood hazard needs reading for the exact address, which the report does against the official maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, and the report traces each address to its land parcel.
Key points
- On the Panaro, between Modena, Castelfranco Emilia and the Vignola hills.
- Population up 7.6% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration about 0.162 g.
- Near the Panaro, check flood hazard by address.
Overview
San Cesario sul Panaro is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,583 residents, ranked 25 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Cesario sul Panaro 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 0.162 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 7.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Cesario sul Panaro declared an average taxable income of 26,371 euros, in line with the province (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Cesario sul Panaro is in climate zone E, with 2,287 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 54 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Cesario sul Panaro has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 3 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 16.8% of the land in San Cesario sul Panaro, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land shrank by 1.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Cesario sul Panaro 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 San Cesario sul Panaro. 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 San Cesario sul Panaro: 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 San Cesario sul Panaro 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 58 inhabited census areas in San Cesario sul Panaro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 6.9%
- fair 50.3%
- good 42.8%
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 036036. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.