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Cerva: 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 Cerva

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 Antonio Daniele 1, Cerva.

Cerva, a Presila village on the slopes of the Sila Piccola

Between the mountains of the Sila Piccola and the hills running down towards Catanzaro and the Ionian Sea lies the Presila, a belt of mid-altitude villages surrounded by chestnut groves and woodland. Cerva is one of them: the village stands at about 800 metres, while the municipal territory climbs towards the plateau and drops into stream valleys.

The provincial capital, Catanzaro, is the reference point for nearly everything: hospital, university, public offices and jobs. It is reached by car on mountain roads, which is worth bearing in mind if you plan to live here all year. The village has its share of houses built or extended in stages, alongside a few more recent small blocks. The climate zone is E, with cold and sometimes snowy winters. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

There were 1,052 residents in 2023, 17.1% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 47.2, a little above the provincial 46.1, and over-65s make up 26.1%. Foreign nationals account for 0.4%, and households average 2.38 people.

In the province of Catanzaro, 45 municipalities are in seismic zone 1 and 35 in zone 2 under the Civil Protection Department classification. Cerva belongs to the second group, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, 0.216 g, is still high. Where a house has been raised or extended at different times, ask for the building permits and have an engineer check how the old and new parts work together.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality: from the address the report reaches the land parcel and checks slope, landslides and flooding along the streams on the official maps.

Key points

  • Presila village at about 800 metres, between the Sila Piccola and Catanzaro.
  • Seismic zone 2, but high expected acceleration: 0.216 g.
  • Population down 17.1% since 2011.
  • Revenue Agency cadastral maps available.

Overview

Cerva is a municipality in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,052 residents, ranked 58 of 80 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cerva is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 35 of 80 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.216 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cerva, 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 17.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 0.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cerva declared an average taxable income of 14,359 euros, below the provincial average (19,667 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cerva is in climate zone E, with 2,427 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 800 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cerva has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 2.9 schools per 1,000 residents, more 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 2.3% of the land in Cerva, 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 Cerva.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cerva: 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 Cerva 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 6 inhabited census areas in Cerva. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 0.7%
  • good 99.3%

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 079027. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.