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Scandiano: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Scandiano

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: Viale Giuseppe Mazzini 1, Scandiano.

Scandiano, the Boiardo fortress between plain and hills

Matteo Maria Boiardo, the Renaissance poet of Orlando Innamorato, and the naturalist Lazzaro Spallanzani were both born in Scandiano, and the Boiardo fortress still dominates the centre. The town lies where the Reggio Emilia plain meets the first hills, along the Tresinaro stream, south-east of Reggio Emilia.

It is part of the ceramic tile district that stretches towards Sassuolo. The territory varies a lot: to the north the plain with Arceto and the industrial areas, in the middle the town with its services and a station on the Reggio Emilia to Sassuolo railway, to the south the hills of Ventoso and the vineyards of the Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa wine area. A house in the hills and a flat by the main road come with very different strengths and drawbacks.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 25,853 residents at the end of 2023, up 4.3% since 2011. The average age of 45.9 is slightly above the province, over-65s make up 24.1% and foreign nationals 7.3%. Average incomes are in line with the provincial level.

Some services are thinner than average: healthcare facilities number 0.31 per 1,000 residents against 0.48, supermarkets 0.39 against 0.57. The report measures the real distances from the front door.

Scandiano is in seismic zone 3, but its expected ground acceleration of about 0.162 g already falls in the range typical of zone 2, the class of 8 municipalities in the province. It is worth asking for the design date and any surveys even for recent homes. In the hills the report checks landslide maps, near the Tresinaro the flood maps, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps lead to the plot.

Key points

  • Boiardo fortress, ceramic industry and wine-growing hills.
  • 25,853 residents, up 4.3% since 2011.
  • 0.31 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, below the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.162 g.

Overview

Scandiano is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 25,853 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Scandiano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (34 of 42) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.162 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 4.3%. 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 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Scandiano declared an average taxable income of 27,370 euros, in line with the province (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Scandiano is in climate zone E, with 2,473 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 95 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Scandiano has 17 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 15 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).

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 18.4% of the land in Scandiano, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Scandiano 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 Scandiano, and one more has 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 Scandiano: 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 Scandiano 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 113 inhabited census areas in Scandiano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.5%
  • fair 62.6%
  • good 35.0%

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

ISTAT code 035040. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.