Filadelfia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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: Contrada Scarro 1, Filadelfia.
Filadelfia, the grid-plan town above the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia
Filadelfia is an inland town in the province of Vibo Valentia, built above 500 metres on high ground looking out over the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia. Its history is unusual: it was founded at the end of the eighteenth century, after the great Calabrian earthquake of 1783, by the people of nearby Castelmonardo, which is why it has a regular grid of straight streets crossing at right angles.
The main reference points are Vibo Valentia and Lamezia Terme, which has the main railway station and the airport; the A2 motorway runs lower down, towards the coast. Buyers will mostly find masonry houses in the grid-plan centre and newer homes on the edges of town. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average; the price range for the area is shown in the report for the address.
The population is falling: in 2023 there were 5,022 residents, 616 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 10.9% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 46.5, against 45.5 in the province, 26.2% of residents are over 65 and foreign nationals make up 3.6%. Overture Maps, an open map of places, records 8 education sites and 3 pharmacies.
Earthquake risk is the main thing to assess. Filadelfia is in seismic zone 1, the highest class, together with the other 49 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.268 g. Before buying a masonry house, ask for a structural survey and find out whether any upgrading work has been done; for a reinforced concrete building, the design year and the quality of construction are what count.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report works back from the address to the land parcel. On the slopes running down towards the coast and along streams, landslide and flood hazard is checked at the exact point.
Key points
- Grid-plan town founded after the 1783 earthquake.
- 5,022 residents, down 10.9% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.268 g.
- Vibo Valentia and Lamezia Terme are the nearest larger towns.
Overview
Filadelfia is a municipality in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 5,022 residents, ranked 7 of 50 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Filadelfia is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. All 50 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.268 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Filadelfia, 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 10.9%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Filadelfia declared an average taxable income of 14,833 euros, below the provincial average (17,878 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Filadelfia is in climate zone D, with 1,857 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 570 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Filadelfia has 8 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 2 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.
There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 7.7% of the land in Filadelfia, compared with 5.9% in the province and 5.1% 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 medium. 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 Filadelfia.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Filadelfia: 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 Filadelfia 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 78 inhabited census areas in Filadelfia. 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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 102011. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.