Vigarano Mainarda: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Vigarano Mainarda
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 Cento 1, Vigarano Mainarda.
Vigarano Mainarda, farmland west of Ferrara
Vigarano Mainarda is a lowland municipality west of Ferrara, on the road to Bondeno, with two main centres, the town itself and Vigarano Pieve. Around them lies the typical Ferrara countryside of wide fields, drainage canals and old farmhouses, only a few metres above sea level like most of the province.
For people working in Ferrara it is a convenient place to live, with detached and terraced houses built over recent decades alongside the older village houses. Everyday services are here, but for the hospital and public offices residents head towards Ferrara; the report measures the actual distance to schools, pharmacies and supermarkets from the exact address.
Unlike many towns in the province, Vigarano is growing: 7,658 residents at the end of 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, 3.1% more than in 2011. It is still an older community, with an average age of 47.5 and over-65s at 25.8%, but younger than the province as a whole, one of the oldest in Italy with an average age of 49.2. Declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.
Nearly all of the Ferrara area is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's classification: 20 of the 21 municipalities are in zone 3, including Vigarano, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.140 g. On this plain, though, sandy waterlogged soils can amplify shaking, and old masonry houses and warehouses are the most vulnerable buildings. Buyers should ask whether the building has had seismic upgrading and under which permits.
The hazard that matters most here is water, on a low plain kept dry by drainage canals: the report checks the official flood hazard maps for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces each address to its plot.
Key points
- Plain west of Ferrara: the main town and Vigarano Pieve.
- Population up 3.1% since 2011, against the local trend.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.140 g.
- Drainage canals and low ground: flood hazard to check.
Overview
Vigarano Mainarda is a municipality in the province of Ferrara, in Emilia-Romagna. At the end of 2023 it had 7,658 residents, ranked 12 of 21 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vigarano Mainarda is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (20 of 21) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.140 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 grown by 3.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, lower than the province average (49). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vigarano Mainarda declared an average taxable income of 25,107 euros, in line with the province (24,414 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Vigarano Mainarda is in climate zone E, with 2,327 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 10 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vigarano Mainarda has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
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 8.8% of the land in Vigarano Mainarda, compared with 7.2% in the province and 9.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Vigarano Mainarda 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 Vigarano Mainarda; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vigarano Mainarda: 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 Vigarano Mainarda 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 72 inhabited census areas in Vigarano Mainarda. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 12.5%
- fair 87.5%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Emilia-Romagna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 038022. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.