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Valsamoggia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Valsamoggia

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 Provinciale 1, Valsamoggia.

Valsamoggia, five villages from the valley road to the hills

Valsamoggia is a municipality created in 2014 by merging Bazzano, Crespellano, Castello di Serravalle, Monteveglio and Savigno. It takes its name from the Samoggia, a stream running down from the Apennines to the plain west of Bologna, so the territory is long and varied: the larger villages at the bottom, hamlets, woods and eroded clay badlands (calanchi) higher up.

For a buyer, the difference between the former villages matters more than the name of the municipality. Crespellano and Bazzano are closest to Bologna, along the Bazzanese road and the railway to Vignola, with newer estates of terraced houses and small blocks lived in by people who work in the city. Monteveglio has its abbey on the hill and a regional park around it. Castello di Serravalle and Savigno lie higher, with scattered houses, hill roads and longer winters; Savigno is known for its white truffles. The further up you go, the longer the journeys and the fewer the services close by.

The population is growing: 31,925 residents in 2023, up 8.5% on 2011, or 2,498 more people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 45.9, slightly below the provincial 46.6, and over-65s are 23.4% against 24.8%. Foreign nationals make up 12.1%. Average incomes are a little below those of the province of Bologna, one of the wealthiest in Italy.

Valsamoggia is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 43 municipalities in the province, while 12 are in zone 2. Its expected ground acceleration, about 0.163 g, is high for this zone. With a renovated farmhouse, find out whether the work covered load-bearing walls and floors or only the finishes.

On the clay slopes of the hills landslides are common, and many minor roads show the signs. On the plain the Samoggia and its side streams can overflow in heavy rain. These hazards change from plot to plot, and the report checks them on the official maps starting from the address.

Key points

  • Municipality formed in 2014 by merging five villages.
  • Population up 8.5% since 2011, foreign nationals 12.1%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.163 g.
  • Landslides are common on the clay hillsides.

Overview

Valsamoggia is a municipality in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 31,925 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 55).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Valsamoggia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (43 of 55) 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 8.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 12.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Valsamoggia declared an average taxable income of 27,545 euros, below the provincial average (29,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Valsamoggia is in climate zone E, with 2,525 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 259 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Valsamoggia has 19 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 13 healthcare facilities, 27 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 0.1 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.3).

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 9.1% of the land in Valsamoggia, compared with 9.0% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Valsamoggia 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 8 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Valsamoggia, and 4 more have 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 Valsamoggia: 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 Valsamoggia 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 235 inhabited census areas in Valsamoggia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.0%
  • fair 76.2%
  • good 18.9%

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 037061. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.