Santarcangelo di Romagna: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Santarcangelo di Romagna
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 Santarcangelese 10, Santarcangelo di Romagna.
Santarcangelo, the hill above the Marecchia and its caves
Santarcangelo di Romagna sits on a hill overlooking the Marecchia valley, just west of Rimini, with the historic village at the top and the newer town on the flat along the Via Emilia, the old Roman road. Dozens of caves dug into the soft rock run beneath the houses on the hill, and the Malatesta fortress stands at the summit. The poet and screenwriter Tonino Guerra was born here, and every summer the town hosts a theatre festival known across Europe. An arch dedicated to Pope Clement XIV honours another famous native.
For people who want to live near the coast without being in a beach resort, Santarcangelo is a common choice. The station on the Bologna to Rimini line links the town with the Riviera and with Bologna, and the sea is about fifteen minutes by car. In the hilly old village the houses are old and often have no parking; on the flat, newer villas and blocks of flats prevail.
The population is growing: Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 22,228 residents in 2023, up 6.7% on 2011. It is number 3 in the province of Rimini and home to 6.5% of its people. The average age of 46.1 is slightly below the provincial figure, and over-65s make up 23.7%. Foreign residents account for 8.6%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.
Earthquake hazard should not be underestimated. All 27 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2, and expected ground acceleration here is about 0.185 g, a high figure for Romagna. Before buying, ask for the construction date, any strengthening work and structural assessments, especially for the stone buildings of the old village.
On the flat, the Marecchia river and drainage ditches are worth considering, and on the hill, the slopes. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps at the address and uses the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps to find the land parcel.
Key points
- Hilltop village with caves, newer town along the Via Emilia.
- Station on the Bologna to Rimini line, sea fifteen minutes away.
- 22,228 residents, up 6.7% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.185 g.
Overview
Santarcangelo di Romagna is a municipality in the province of Rimini, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 22,228 residents, the third most populous in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santarcangelo di Romagna is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 27 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.185 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Santarcangelo di Romagna, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 6.7%. 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 8.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santarcangelo di Romagna declared an average taxable income of 23,360 euros, in line with the province (22,480 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santarcangelo di Romagna is in climate zone E, with 2,186 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 42 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santarcangelo di Romagna has 14 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 24 healthcare facilities, 20 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.
There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 17.5% of the land in Santarcangelo di Romagna, compared with 12.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Santarcangelo di Romagna 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 Santarcangelo di Romagna. 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 Santarcangelo di Romagna: 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 Santarcangelo di Romagna 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 102 inhabited census areas in Santarcangelo di Romagna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.5%
- fair 68.3%
- good 28.2%
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 099018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.