San Giovanni in Persiceto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bologna, 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 San Giovanni in Persiceto
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 Cento 1, San Giovanni in Persiceto.
San Giovanni in Persiceto, the carnival and the Bologna plain
The Persiceto carnival is famous for the "spillo", the moment when the big allegorical floats transform in front of the crowd, and it draws people from all over the province. The rest of the year San Giovanni in Persiceto is a sizeable town on the plain north-west of Bologna, about twenty kilometres from the city, surrounded by fields, with a compact old centre and outlying villages in the countryside, among them San Matteo della Decima.
The station on the Bologna to Verona line is the link most used by people working in the city: suburban trains reach Bologna quickly. The market offers flats in the centre and in the districts built around it, detached houses, and farmhouses in the countryside, large but often in need of restoration. On the plain, fog and damp matter, as does the distance from the station.
There were 27,960 residents in 2023, up 3.6% since 2011. The estimated average age of 46.6 is in line with the metropolitan area (46.6), and foreign residents make up 8.8%. Average incomes are close to the provincial level, slightly lower. There are fewer healthcare facilities per resident than the provincial average, so for hospitals and specialist visits people often go to Bologna.
The 2012 Emilia earthquake hit the lowland towns nearby hard, Crevalcore among them. Persiceto is in seismic zone 3, like 43 municipalities in the province, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.160 g, is higher than the class suggests. For masonry buildings, farm buildings and old farmhouses, ask whether checks or work were carried out after 2012, and with what grants.
The plain is crossed by drainage channels: flood hazard varies a lot from one area to the next, and the report checks it for the individual address.
Key points
- Plain north-west of Bologna, known for its carnival.
- Suburban trains on the Bologna-Verona line.
- 27,960 residents, up 3.6% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.160 g.
Overview
San Giovanni in Persiceto is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 27,960 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 55).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Giovanni in Persiceto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (43 of 55) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.160 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 3.6%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 8.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Giovanni in Persiceto declared an average taxable income of 28,155 euros, in line with the province (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Giovanni in Persiceto is in climate zone E, with 2,187 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 21 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Giovanni in Persiceto has 17 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 15 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 17 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).
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 10.4% of the land in San Giovanni in Persiceto, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Giovanni in Persiceto 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 Giovanni in Persiceto, and 3 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 San Giovanni in Persiceto: 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 Giovanni in Persiceto 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 156 inhabited census areas in San Giovanni in Persiceto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.8%
- fair 60.0%
- good 36.4%
- very good 1.8%
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 037053. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.