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Vigevano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vigevano

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: Corso Novara 1, Vigevano.

Vigevano, Piazza Ducale, the Ticino and shoemaking

Vigevano is the main town of Lomellina, the rice-growing plain between the Ticino and the Po, and its signature is Piazza Ducale, laid out under the Sforza dukes at the end of the fifteenth century with the castle behind it. In the twentieth century it was Italy's shoe capital, and it still has firms making footwear and the machines that produce it.

Milan is less than 40 kilometres away and many residents commute. The railway to Milan stops in town, while by car the crossing of the Ticino towards Abbiategrasso can slow down badly at rush hour. If you are considering Vigevano as a base for a job in Milan, try the journey before deciding.

The old town has historic palazzi and arcaded houses; around it are blocks of flats from the post-war boom and small villas, and out in the countryside farmsteads (cascine) and hamlets scattered among the paddy fields. Towards the Ticino lies the regional park, with woodland and paths along the river.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 62,515 residents in 2023, up 4.0% on 2011. Over-65s make up 24.8%, in line with the province of Pavia, and foreign residents 15.9%. Pharmacies are sparser than elsewhere in the province: 0.32 per 1,000 residents against 0.45.

Earthquake hazard is low: seismic zone 3, like 156 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.043 g. Water matters more. The town stands on a terrace above the Ticino valley, and lower down, near the river and the irrigation canals, flood hazard should be checked for the address. Winters are cold and foggy (climate zone E), so insulation and the boiler make a real difference to running costs.

Key points

  • Piazza Ducale, the Sforza castle and a shoemaking tradition.
  • 62,515 residents, up 4.0% since 2011.
  • Pharmacies: 0.32 per 1,000 residents, below the province.
  • Seismic zone 3: water near the Ticino matters more.

Overview

Vigevano is a municipality in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 62,515 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vigevano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (157 of 184) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.043 g, a low 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 4.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 15.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vigevano declared an average taxable income of 25,077 euros, in line with the province (26,290 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vigevano is in climate zone E, with 2,544 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 116 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vigevano has 46 schools and 20 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 25 grocery shops and supermarkets, 45 healthcare facilities, 50 sports facilities and 11 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 1 public transport stops, served by 1 train line. That is about 0.0 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 17.6% of the land in Vigevano, compared with 9.6% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.3 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Vigevano 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Vigevano, and 13 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 Vigevano: 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 Vigevano 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 692 inhabited census areas in Vigevano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 12.3%
  • good 63.1%
  • very good 24.4%

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 018177. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.