San Felice 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 Felice 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 Imperiale 22, San Felice sul Panaro.
San Felice sul Panaro, the Modena lowlands after the 2012 quake
In May 2012 the Emilia earthquakes hit San Felice sul Panaro hard: the Este castle at the heart of the town, its churches and many homes and industrial buildings were badly damaged, and rebuilding went on for years. Anyone buying here today has to start from that history.
The town lies in the Bassa modenese, the lowland north of Modena towards the border with the province of Ferrara, near the river Panaro that gives it its name. It is a farming and small-business town, with a compact centre and hamlets spread among fields and drainage canals. Modena and Mirandola are within driving distance.
The key question for any building is what happened to it after 2012. Was it repaired or rebuilt with public funds? To what level of seismic improvement? Are any files still open? Ask for the paperwork on the work before signing the deed and have an engineer look at it. Today, in the classification drawn up by the Civil Protection department, San Felice is in seismic zone 3, like 39 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.149 g; the area has shown that strong earthquakes can happen here too.
The population has not fully recovered. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,827 residents in 2023, down 1.8% on 2011. The estimated average age of 45.6 is in line with the province (45.8), over-65s are 23.6% and foreign residents 15.9%. Average declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
On a low plain shaped by drainage canals and close to the Panaro, flood hazard also deserves a careful look; the report checks it at the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so an address can be traced to the plot of the building.
Key points
- Hit by the 2012 Emilia earthquake: ask for the rebuilding paperwork.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.149 g.
- 10,827 residents, down 1.8% since 2011.
- Reclaimed plain near the Panaro: flood hazard to check.
Overview
San Felice sul Panaro is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 10,827 residents, ranked 17 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Felice 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 0.149 g, a moderate 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 1.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 15.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Felice sul Panaro declared an average taxable income of 25,404 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Felice sul Panaro is in climate zone E, with 2,194 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 19 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Felice sul Panaro has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 2 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 12.5% of the land in San Felice sul Panaro, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.5 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Felice 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in San Felice 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 Felice 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 Felice 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 57 inhabited census areas in San Felice sul Panaro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 64.8%
- good 35.2%
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 036037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.