Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Sorbolo Mezzani: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sorbolo Mezzani

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: Strada Martiri della Liberta' 1, Sorbolo Mezzani.

Sorbolo Mezzani, between the Enza and the Po

Sorbolo Mezzani is a young municipality in administrative terms: it was created by merging Sorbolo and Mezzani, two villages of the Bassa, the low plain north-east of Parma. Sorbolo lies along the Enza, the river that marks the border with the province of Reggio Emilia, and looks towards the city. Mezzani is further north, in farmland that stretches to the Po, with floodplain meadows and poplar plantations along Italy's longest river.

In Sorbolo buyers find detached and terraced houses and recent flats, about a quarter of an hour by car from the Parma ring road, in a market driven by people who work in the city and in the local food industry. Mezzani is more rural, with old farmhouses and courtyards, lower prices and longer trips to services. Bars, restaurants and pharmacies are few compared with the provincial average.

The population is flat: 12,989 residents in 2023 against 12,984 in 2011. The average age is 45.1, slightly below the provincial figure, and 21.4% are over 65. Foreign residents make up 12.1%. Incomes are good, although a little below the average of a wealthy province like Parma.

Seismic classification on the plain is low: the municipality is in zone 3, like most of the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.103 g. The soils of the Bassa, however, are soft river deposits, so if you are buying a farmhouse or a barn to convert, have the foundations and the ties between walls checked.

Water is the main issue here. The Enza and the Po have high embankments and a history of floods, and drainage canals run between them. Flood hazard varies a great deal from one address to another, and the report checks it on the official maps, starting from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Formed by merging Sorbolo and Mezzani, between the Enza and the Po.
  • 12,989 residents, stable against 12,984 in 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.103 g.
  • Embankments and floodplain: flood hazard checked address by address.

Overview

Sorbolo Mezzani is a municipality in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 12,989 residents, ranked 6 of 44 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sorbolo Mezzani is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (37 of 44) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.103 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 12.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sorbolo Mezzani declared an average taxable income of 27,199 euros, in line with the province (28,491 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sorbolo Mezzani is in climate zone E, with 2,439 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 26 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sorbolo Mezzani has 10 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 1 green area.

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 11.1% of the land in Sorbolo Mezzani, compared with 7.6% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 9.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Sorbolo Mezzani 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 open contaminated sites in Sorbolo Mezzani; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sorbolo Mezzani: 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 Sorbolo Mezzani 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 74 inhabited census areas in Sorbolo Mezzani. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.3%
  • fair 72.0%
  • good 23.7%

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 034051. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.