San Prospero: 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 Prospero
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 Canaletto 2, San Prospero.
San Prospero, the Modena lowlands between Secchia and Panaro
San Prospero belongs to the bassa modenese, the low plain north of Modena between the rivers Secchia and Panaro, on the road up to Mirandola. It is a small, compact town with hamlets scattered across the fields and a crafts and light industry area. Residents often work in Modena, in Carpi or in the medical devices cluster around Mirandola.
Two things that matter to a buyer come straight from the geography. The first is water. The plain here is low, shaped by embankments, drainage channels and two rivers held between high banks, and flood hazard changes from one street to the next. The report checks it on the official maps for each address. The town is in climate zone E, with fog and damp winters.
The second is earthquakes. San Prospero is in seismic zone 3, like 40 municipalities in the province (the other 7 are in zone 2), and an expected ground acceleration of about 0.154 g is significant for a lowland town. In this part of Emilia many buildings have been repaired or strengthened in recent years: ask for the paperwork on any work done and, for houses that have not been touched, have an engineer assess how vulnerable the structure is. The same applies to barns and sheds you might want to convert into a home.
The town is growing and its population is young. Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 6,165 residents in 2023, 5.5% more than in 2011. The average age is 43.6, below the provincial figure of 45.8, and over-65s make up 19.1% against 23.7% across the province of Modena. Foreign residents account for 12.8%. Average incomes are slightly below the Modena average.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report traces the plot from the address and measures the distance to schools, pharmacies and shops from the house itself.
Key points
- Low plain between two rivers: flood hazard checked per address.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.154 g.
- Over-65s at 19.1% against 23.7% in the province.
- Close to the Mirandola medical devices cluster.
Overview
San Prospero is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,165 residents, ranked 28 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Prospero 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 0.154 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 5.5%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 12.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Prospero declared an average taxable income of 25,675 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Prospero is in climate zone E, with 2,199 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 22 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Prospero has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 2 sports facilities.
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 10.4% of the land in San Prospero, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Prospero 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 contaminated sites in San Prospero.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Prospero: 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 Prospero 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 62 inhabited census areas in San Prospero. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.5%
- fair 67.9%
- good 31.5%
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 036039. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.