San Lazzaro di Savena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Lazzaro di Savena
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 1, San Lazzaro di Savena.
San Lazzaro di Savena, between Bologna and the gypsum hills
Along the Via Emilia the boundary between Bologna and San Lazzaro di Savena is barely visible: homes, shops and offices carry on without a break. To the south the town changes character and climbs into the hills of the Gessi Bolognesi and Calanchi dell'Abbadessa park, with caves, sinkholes and footpaths starting a few minutes from people's homes.
The districts differ a lot. In the main town and along the Via Emilia there are flats and services right next to Bologna, which is also reachable by city bus. Hamlets such as Idice, Ponticella and Castel de' Britti are quieter, and in the hills there are villas and farmhouses on narrow, steep roads. Green space is plentiful: 20 areas on record, 0.61 per 1,000 residents against 0.28 in the province, and 1.56 sports facilities per 1,000 residents.
Average declared income is well above the provincial average. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 32,699 residents in 2023, up 5.2% since 2011, with an average age of 48.1 against 46.6 in the province and over-65s at 27.5%. Households are small, 2.09 people on average.
San Lazzaro is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, like 42 other municipalities in the province, while 12 are in zone 2. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.173 g, a middling value. For hillside villas and 1960s or 1970s apartment blocks, ask for structural surveys.
In the hills, gypsum ground and badlands make landslides and subsidence important, while on the plain the Savena and Idice rivers are what to watch. The report checks both for the address, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry maps to find the plot.
Key points
- Right next to Bologna, with the Gessi park behind it.
- 32,699 residents, average age 48.1.
- Green space: 0.61 areas per 1,000 residents, above the province.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.173 g.
Overview
San Lazzaro di Savena is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 32,699 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 55).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Lazzaro di Savena 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 0.173 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 5.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 8.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Lazzaro di Savena declared an average taxable income of 32,869 euros, above the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Lazzaro di Savena is in climate zone E, with 2,210 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 62 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Lazzaro di Savena has 25 schools and 9 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 24 healthcare facilities, 51 sports facilities and 20 parks and green areas.
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 15.4% of the land in San Lazzaro di Savena, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Lazzaro di Savena 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in San Lazzaro di Savena, 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 Lazzaro di Savena: 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 Lazzaro di Savena 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 195 inhabited census areas in San Lazzaro di Savena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.9%
- fair 37.7%
- good 60.4%
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 037054. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.