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Cosio d'Arroscia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cosio d'Arroscia

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 Confraria 1, Cosio d'Arroscia.

Cosio d'Arroscia, a stone village in the upper Arroscia valley

Cosio d'Arroscia is one of the villages of the upper Arroscia valley, inland from Imperia, where the Ligurian Alps begin to climb towards the border with Piedmont. The stream runs down to Pieve di Teco, the valley's main town, and then on towards Albenga and the sea. The village, at around seven hundred metres, is a tight mass of stone houses built one above the other, linked by steps and lanes you can only walk.

That shape has practical consequences. Many houses are tall and narrow, share walls with their neighbours and have no parking at the door, and building work costs more because materials have to be carried in by hand. Before falling for a view, check the roof, drains, damp and the condition of shared walls. Winters are climate zone F, which means cold, so proper heating is a must.

The population is small and elderly. In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 173 residents, 75 fewer than the 248 of 2011, a fall of 30.2%. Over-65s make up 44.5%, against 28.5% in the province of Imperia, and the estimated average age is 57.4. Shopping and the doctor mean a drive down the valley.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 35 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.142 g. In old stone villages a building's strength also depends on the ones next to it, so ask whether any structural work has been done. The report checks landslide and flood maps at the exact address and, using the Revenue Agency's maps, finds the cadastral parcel.

Key points

  • Stone village in the upper Arroscia valley, inland from Imperia.
  • 173 residents in 2023, down 30.2% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 44.5%, against 28.5% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.142 g.

Overview

Cosio d'Arroscia is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 173 residents, among the smallest in the province (62 of 66).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cosio d'Arroscia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) 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.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 30.2%. The estimated average age is 57 years, higher than the province average (49). 45% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cosio d'Arroscia declared an average taxable income of 19,182 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cosio d'Arroscia is in climate zone F, with 3,093 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 721 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 0.6% of the land in Cosio d'Arroscia, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Cosio d'Arroscia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 no contaminated sites in Cosio d'Arroscia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cosio d'Arroscia: 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 Cosio d'Arroscia 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 Cosio d'Arroscia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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 008023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.