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Borgia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Borgia

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 Mazzini 1, Borgia.

Borgia, from the hill to Scolacium on the Gulf of Squillace

Below the town of Borgia, towards the sea, lies the Scolacium archaeological park, with the remains of the Roman city and the large Norman basilica of Santa Maria della Roccella among the olive trees. The municipality runs from the hill, where the centre sits at about three hundred and forty metres, down to the coast of the Gulf of Squillace, around twenty kilometres from Catanzaro in Calabria.

There are two markets. In the hill town you find masonry houses over several floors, often old and cheap; along the coast and in the hamlet of Roccelletta, detached houses and blocks of flats have grown up, some of them summer homes. People working in Catanzaro or around Lamezia drive along the main road that follows the gulf.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,226 residents, down 2.6% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 45.8, in line with the province, and over-65s make up 23.6%. Foreign residents account for 2.5%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the first issue to deal with. Borgia is in seismic zone 1, the most hazardous class on the Civil Protection scale, like 45 of the 80 municipalities in the province of Catanzaro, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.233 g, a high value. Before buying, have an engineer inspect the structure, ask for the design and sign-off documents and, for older houses, find out whether any strengthening has been done. Italian tax incentives for seismic upgrades can help pay for it.

Between the hills and the sea, seasonal torrents known as fiumare can swell quickly in heavy rain, and clay slopes can slide. The report checks these hazards at the address, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps lead to the land parcel.

Key points

  • From the hill to the Gulf of Squillace, with the Scolacium park.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.233 g.
  • Population down 2.6% since 2011.
  • Fiumare torrents and clay slopes: check at the address.

Overview

Borgia is a municipality in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 7,226 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 80).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Borgia is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (45 of 80) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.233 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Borgia, 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 2.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Borgia declared an average taxable income of 18,270 euros, below the provincial average (19,667 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Borgia is in climate zone C, with 1,372 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 341 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Borgia has 5 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.7 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.3).

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 8.3% of the land in Borgia, compared with 6.6% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Borgia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Borgia: 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 Borgia 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 44 inhabited census areas in Borgia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 98.0%

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 079011. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.