Alessandria del Carretto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Alessandria del Carretto
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 Monte Calvario 1, Alessandria del Carretto.
Alessandria del Carretto, high on the Ionian side of the Pollino
A thousand metres up, with beech and fir woods all around and the Ionian Sea visible in the distance on clear days, Alessandria del Carretto stands on the Calabrian side of the Pollino massif, inland from the upper Ionian coast in the province of Cosenza. The village is known for the Pita festival, built around the felling and hauling of a great fir tree, which draws visitors every spring. For hospitals, secondary schools and shops you go down to the Ionian coast on a long, winding mountain road.
Buying here means choosing real mountain life. The climate zone is E, winter snow is not unusual, and the village's stone houses need sound roofs, good insulation and adequate heating. For homes on slopes the report checks the official landslide maps at the exact address.
The village has lost many people. In 2023 there were 352 residents, 178 fewer than the 530 of 2011, a fall of 33.6% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 57.4 against 46.1 in the province of Cosenza, and over-65s make up 44.9%, against 24.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The municipality is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, like 84 other municipalities in the province, while 65 are in zone 1. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.142 g. With an old masonry house, ask a surveyor about the state of the walls and floors and what strengthening would cost before negotiating the price.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Alessandria del Carretto, and the report links the address to its land parcel.
Key points
- Village at a thousand metres on the Ionian side of the Pollino.
- Mountain winters: roof, insulation and heating.
- Over-65s at 44.9%, against 24.4% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.142 g.
Overview
Alessandria del Carretto is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 352 residents, among the smallest in the province (146 of 150).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alessandria del Carretto is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (85 of 150) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.142 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Alessandria del Carretto, 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 33.6%. The estimated average age is 57 years, higher than the province average (46). 45% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alessandria del Carretto declared an average taxable income of 13,457 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Alessandria del Carretto is in climate zone E, with 2,794 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 1,000 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Alessandria del Carretto has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
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 1.3% of the land in Alessandria del Carretto, compared with 4.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Alessandria del Carretto. 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 Alessandria del Carretto: 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 Alessandria del Carretto 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 7 inhabited census areas in Alessandria del Carretto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 53 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.1%
- fair 98.9%
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
- 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.
- 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 078007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.