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Soncino: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Cremona, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Soncino

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 Regina della Scala 1, Soncino.

Soncino, the walled town on the Oglio

Its almost intact walls and Sforza castle make Soncino one of the best preserved fortified towns in Lombardy. It lies on the plain of the province of Cremona, on the bank of the river Oglio, which here marks the border with the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia. In the fifteenth century a family of Jewish printers worked here and took their name from the town; their story is told in the local printing museum.

For buyers, Soncino has two sides. Inside the walls there are historic houses, courtyards and palazzi, with the restrictions and building costs typical of old centres; outside lie small villas, blocks of flats and workshop areas, and further out farmsteads and fields. The town is far enough from every city (Cremona, Crema, Brescia and Bergamo) to be a centre in its own right, with its own shops and services, but there is no railway: commuting means driving. Weekend visitors show up in the figures, with 5.97 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents against 4.08 in the province.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,532 residents, down 2.2% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office; Soncino still ranks number 8 by population out of 113 municipalities in the province of Cremona. It is slightly older than average, with over-65s at 27.1% against 25.3% for the province, and foreign residents make up 10.1%.

All 113 municipalities around Cremona are in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's scale, and the expected ground acceleration in Soncino is about 0.119 g. Even on the plain, towers, churches and old masonry barns are the most vulnerable buildings, so for an old one have the ties between walls, floors and roof checked.

The Oglio valley is an area where the river can overflow, especially in the lowest-lying parts. The report reads the flood maps for the address and finds the plot using the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Town walls and Sforza castle on the bank of the Oglio.
  • 5.97 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.119 g.
  • Near the Oglio, flood hazard checked by address.

Overview

Soncino is a municipality in the province of Cremona, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,532 residents, among the most populous in the province (8 of 113).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Soncino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. All 113 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.119 g, a moderate 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 fallen by 2.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 10.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Soncino declared an average taxable income of 26,490 euros, in line with the province (26,376 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Soncino is in climate zone E, with 2,403 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 86 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Soncino has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

The open timetables available for the area do not list any stops within the territory of Soncino.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 12.6% of the land in Soncino, compared with 10.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.6 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Soncino is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. 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 Soncino.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Soncino: 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 Soncino 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 77 inhabited census areas in Soncino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.1%
  • fair 29.8%
  • good 69.1%

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 019097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.