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Cicala: 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 Cicala

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 Giuseppe Garibaldi 1, Cicala.

Cicala, a mountain village inland from Catanzaro

At over eight hundred metres, among woods and steep slopes, Cicala is a mountain village inland from Catanzaro, the regional capital of Calabria. Catanzaro is a drive down the valley, and people go there for hospital, public offices, university and much of the work. The village has the character of the Calabrian Apennines: houses built close together, steep streets, vegetable plots and chestnut woods around.

The figures tell a story of depopulation. At the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 851 residents, 157 fewer than in 2011, down 15.6%. The average age is 48.3, against 46.1 for the province, and over-65s are 28.7%. Foreign residents are very few, at 0.9%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The main issue for a buyer is earthquakes. Cicala is in seismic zone 2, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.271 g, a high value; in the province of Catanzaro, 45 municipalities are in zone 1, the most hazardous, and 35 in zone 2. For an old stone house you need records of past work or, failing that, a structural survey before completion. It is also the time to look at the tax incentives for seismic improvement.

The climate is zone E: cold winters, possible snow, heating on for a long time. On the slopes landslide hazard changes from spot to spot, and the report reads it for the address, together with the gradient of the ground.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality, and the report traces the land parcel from the street.

Key points

  • Mountain village inland from Catanzaro, above eight hundred metres.
  • Population down 15.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, yet expected acceleration about 0.271 g.
  • Older houses: ask for the structural records.

Overview

Cicala is a municipality in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 851 residents, ranked 63 of 80 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cicala 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 0.271 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cicala, 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 15.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 0.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cicala declared an average taxable income of 16,626 euros, below the provincial average (19,667 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cicala is in climate zone E, with 2,490 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 829 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 3.5 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 6.0% of the land in Cicala, 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 Cicala.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cicala: 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 Cicala 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 4 inhabited census areas in Cicala. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 079030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.