Savignano 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 Savignano 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 Claudia 84, Savignano sul Panaro.
Savignano sul Panaro, cherry orchards and a hilltop village
The river Panaro separates Savignano from Vignola, which lies right on the opposite bank, and the town also acts as a hinge between the provinces of Modena and Bologna. The municipality rises from the plain, at around a hundred metres, to the first hills, where Savignano Alto, the medieval village, sits at the top. In between are orchards and cherry groves: this is the area of the Vignola cherry, and in spring the hills fill with blossom.
Most people live lower down, along the road that follows the river, in detached houses, recent small blocks and near industrial areas. On the hills there are scattered houses, smallholdings and old farmhouses. Many residents work in Modena, Bologna or in the valley's firms and travel by car: both cities are about half an hour away, traffic permitting. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The population is growing: at the end of 2023 there were 9,595 residents, up 3.4% on 2011. The estimated average age is 45.5, in line with the province (45.8), and foreign residents make up 15.8%, a high share, partly linked to work in the orchards and factories.
The Panaro and the streams coming off the hills are the first thing to check in the lower part, the clay slopes in the upper part. The report reads both flood and landslide hazard at the address and finds the land parcel on the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency.
The province of Modena has 7 municipalities in seismic zone 2 and 40 in zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, and Savignano is among the latter, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.163 g. The value is moderate but not negligible: for houses in the old village and farmhouses, ask whether walls and roofs have been strengthened.
Key points
- On the Panaro facing Vignola, cherry country, bordering Bologna.
- Population up 3.4% since 2011, foreign residents 15.8%.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.163 g.
- River below and clay hills above: check floods and landslides.
Overview
Savignano sul Panaro is a municipality in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 9,595 residents, ranked 20 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Savignano 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 0.163 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 3.4%. 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 15.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Savignano sul Panaro declared an average taxable income of 25,206 euros, below the provincial average (27,632 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Savignano sul Panaro is in climate zone E, with 2,289 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 102 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Savignano sul Panaro has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 8 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 14.4% of the land in Savignano sul Panaro, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Savignano 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 Savignano 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 Savignano 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 Savignano 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 50 inhabited census areas in Savignano sul Panaro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 16.6%
- fair 60.6%
- good 22.8%
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 036041. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.