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Cottanello: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cottanello

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 San Biagio 1, Cottanello.

Cottanello, a stone village in the Sabine hills

In the Sabine mountains, in the province of Rieti, Cottanello is a village of stone houses built on a slope at around 550 metres. Around it are woods and roads winding down to the valleys. For offices and the hospital, Rieti is the reference point; otherwise life here depends on the car.

The market is almost entirely village houses and the odd rural building. Houses in the centre often have several floors, narrow stairs and thick walls: check the floors, the roof and damp, and find out where you would park. Winters are cold (climate zone E), while summer evenings in the hills stay cool.

In 2023 there were 530 residents, down 5.7% on 2011. The average age of 48.7 is close to the provincial 48.1, but over-65s make up 30.8% against 27.1% across the province. Foreign residents are 9.8%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is something to weigh up: Cottanello is in zone 2 on the Civil Protection department's national scale, like 60 of the 73 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.161 g. For an old masonry house, ask whether seismic strengthening has been carried out, under which permits and when.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes maps for the municipality: the report goes from the address to the land parcel and reads slope and landslide hazard on the official maps, details that on a hillside change from one house to the next.

Key points

  • Stone village in the Sabine hills, around 550 metres.
  • 530 residents, down 5.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.161 g.
  • Multi-storey houses in the centre: floors, roof and parking.

Overview

Cottanello is a municipality in the province of Rieti, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 530 residents, ranked 48 of 73 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cottanello is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2B. Most municipalities in the province (60 of 73) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.161 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cottanello, 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 5.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 9.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cottanello declared an average taxable income of 20,979 euros, below the provincial average (22,743 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cottanello is in climate zone E, with 2,368 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 551 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cottanello has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 2.1% of the land in Cottanello, compared with 3.2% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Cottanello. 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 Cottanello: 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 Cottanello 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 13 inhabited census areas in Cottanello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 38.1%
  • good 61.9%

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 057026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.