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Fuscaldo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fuscaldo

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 Sant'Antonio 1, Fuscaldo.

Fuscaldo, hill village and seaside marina near Paola

Fuscaldo lies on the Tyrrhenian coast of the province of Cosenza, a little north of Paola. The old village clings to a hill at around 350 metres, looking out to sea; below it, along the main road and the coastal railway, Fuscaldo Marina has grown up, and a large share of residents now live there. Behind rises the Catena Costiera, the coastal range that separates the Tyrrhenian from the Crati valley and Cosenza.

Buyers face a choice between two places. Up the hill, houses are stone, often on several levels, with narrow alleys and sloping access; at the marina there are blocks of flats and small villas, many used as summer homes. Paola, where long-distance trains stop and where connections to Cosenza start, is a few minutes' drive away.

Like many towns on this stretch of coast, Fuscaldo is losing people: 7,790 at the end of 2023, down 3.5% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 45.8; over-65s make up 25.1%, a little more than the province (24.4%), and foreign residents 2.6%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial figure.

In the province of Cosenza no municipality is below zone 2 on the seismic scale kept by the Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile): 65 are in zone 1 and 85, including Fuscaldo, in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.181 g. Before buying a stone house in the old village, or a flat at the marina built before the latest seismic rules, ask for the structural design and any assessments carried out.

Short, steep streams run between the hill and the sea, and the slopes can slide: these are the two things the report checks for the address using the official maps. Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available.

Key points

  • Old village on the hill and a marina on the coast, near Paola.
  • Residents down 3.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.181 g.
  • Over-65s at 25.1%, foreign residents 2.6%.

Overview

Fuscaldo is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 7,790 residents, ranked 21 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fuscaldo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (85 of 150) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.181 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Fuscaldo, 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 3.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fuscaldo declared an average taxable income of 17,331 euros, in line with the province (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fuscaldo is in climate zone D, with 1,562 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 350 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fuscaldo has 10 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.

There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

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 4.6% of the land in Fuscaldo, compared with 4.4% 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 open contaminated sites in Fuscaldo; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fuscaldo: 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 Fuscaldo 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 62 inhabited census areas in Fuscaldo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 10.0%
  • fair 79.4%
  • good 10.7%

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 078058. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.