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Cariati: 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

Search for an address in Cariati

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 Cristoforo Colombo 1, Cariati.

Cariati, a walled town and its beach on the Ionian

Cariati is visible from far off: the old town, enclosed by walls and towers, sits on a hill a short way from the sea, on the Ionian coast of the province of Cosenza in Calabria, between Corigliano-Rossano and the border with the province of Crotone. The name survives in the diocese too, now joined with that of Rossano. Below the hill, along the SS106 coast road, the marina has grown up, and that is where most residents now live and work.

The two parts of town are separate markets. In the old town there are stone houses, often small and on several levels, some empty or needing work, with narrow lanes and little car access; at the marina there are blocks of flats, newer houses and summer apartments close to the beach and shops. In summer the town fills with holidaymakers and people returning from the north, and the bars show it: 6.91 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 5.71 in the province. For specialist care and bigger services you have to travel, and the SS106 is the only main road along the coast.

Depopulation is severe. At the end of 2023 there were 7,525 residents, against 8,644 in 2011, down 12.9% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 45.2, just below 46.1 for the province, over-65s make up 24.9% and foreign residents 7.8%. Declared incomes are low even for Calabria.

The province of Cosenza is among the most earthquake-prone in Italy: 65 municipalities are in zone 1 of the Civil Protection Department's scale and the remaining 85, Cariati included, in zone 2. The expected ground acceleration is about 0.187 g. In the old town, masonry houses built against each other need to be assessed together with their neighbours; at the marina, ask for the year of construction and the structural sign-off, since many buildings went up quickly.

On the hillside, landslides are the concern; near the fiumare, the seasonal torrents running down to the sea, flooding. The report checks both for the address, starting from the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Walled town on a hill, with a marina along the SS106.
  • Residents down 12.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.187 g.
  • Torrents and slopes: flood and landslide hazard checked by address.

Overview

Cariati is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 7,525 residents, ranked 22 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cariati 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 0.187 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cariati, 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 12.9%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cariati declared an average taxable income of 16,097 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cariati is in climate zone C, with 913 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 50 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cariati has 12 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.

There are 1.3 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 10.3% of the land in Cariati, 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

Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Cariati. 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 Cariati: 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 Cariati 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 39 inhabited census areas in Cariati. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • poor 0.1%
  • modest 10.0%
  • fair 46.6%
  • good 43.4%

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 078025. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.