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Ventasso: 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 Ventasso

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 della Resistenza 1, Ventasso.

Ventasso, the ridge villages of Reggio and Cerreto Laghi

Ventasso is a recent municipality: it was created in 2016 by merging Busana, Collagna, Ligonchio and Ramiseto, and it takes its name from Monte Ventasso, in the high Apennines of Reggio Emilia. Its land reaches the ridge on the Tuscan border, and much of it lies inside the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park. It includes the ski resort of Cerreto Laghi, on the road up to the Cerreto pass, and Lake Calamone, at the foot of the mountain that gives the municipality its name.

For a buyer, Ventasso is above all mountain villages and hamlets, with stone houses, holiday homes and little new building. Winters are long and snowy in the higher hamlets, so heating, insulation and roof upkeep weigh heavily on costs. Distances to Reggio Emilia and the plain are measured in driving time, and in winter the state of the roads makes all the difference.

The population is much older than the provincial average. In 2023 there were 3,898 residents, down 11.5% on 2011; the average age is 52.7 against 45.3 for the province, and over-65s make up 35.9% against 22.6%. Households are small, with 1.82 people on average. Tourism shows in the services: Overture Maps counts 32 bars and restaurants, 8.21 per 1,000 residents against 4.37 in the province.

Ventasso is in seismic zone 2, one of only 8 municipalities in the province of Reggio Emilia in this zone; the other 34 are in zone 3. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.190 g. For stone houses, ask what structural work has been done.

Landslides are common on the Apennine slopes. The report checks landslide hazard and gradient for the address and, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps, also finds the plot.

Key points

  • Created in 2016 by merging Busana, Collagna, Ligonchio and Ramiseto.
  • Over-65s at 35.9%, against 22.6% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration of about 0.190 g.
  • Mountain land with frequent landslides: check each address.

Overview

Ventasso is a municipality in the province of Reggio nell'Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 3,898 residents, among the smallest in the province (37 of 42).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ventasso is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 8 of 42 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.190 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ventasso, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 11.5%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (45). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ventasso declared an average taxable income of 22,018 euros, below the provincial average (27,273 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ventasso is in climate zone F, with 3,371 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 949 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ventasso has 10 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 4 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 2.6 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 2.4% of the land in Ventasso, compared with 11.1% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ventasso 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 contaminated sites in Ventasso.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ventasso: 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 Ventasso 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 95 inhabited census areas in Ventasso. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 95.9%
  • good 2.1%

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 035046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.