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Gerocarne: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gerocarne

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 Michele Bianchi 1, Gerocarne.

Gerocarne, Vibo hill country towards the Serre

Between the Tyrrhenian coast and the Serre mountains, the countryside inland from Vibo Valentia is made up of farmed hills, woods and villages split into several hamlets. Gerocarne is one of them: a farming municipality at around 240 metres, with a main village and hamlets a few kilometres apart. Vibo Valentia and the Tyrrhenian coast are reached by car, and for a hospital, secondary schools and offices people go there or to the larger towns of the area.

For buyers, each hamlet is a small market of its own, with masonry village houses, often on several levels and in need of work, and rural houses with land. Budget for restoration and look carefully at access, because some roads are narrow and steep.

At the end of 2023 there were 1,943 residents, down 18.4% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. Unlike many inland villages, the population is still fairly young: average age 44.4 against 45.5 in the province, over-65s at 21.8%. Foreign residents are few, 1.6%.

Gerocarne is in seismic zone 1, the highest, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.262 g. Before buying a masonry house, ask an engineer to check walls, floors and roof and to say what work is needed to improve how it would cope with an earthquake.

Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate). Near the streams and on the slopes, the report shows the official flood and landslide maps for the individual address.

Key points

  • Farming municipality inland from Vibo, towards the Serre.
  • Scattered hamlets: each is a market of its own.
  • Average age 44.4, below the provincial figure.
  • Seismic zone 1, the highest.

Overview

Gerocarne is a municipality in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,943 residents, ranked 22 of 50 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gerocarne 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 0.262 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Gerocarne, 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 18.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gerocarne declared an average taxable income of 14,288 euros, below the provincial average (17,878 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gerocarne is in climate zone C, with 1,160 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 241 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 3.2% of the land in Gerocarne, 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 high. 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 Gerocarne.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gerocarne: 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 Gerocarne 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 31 inhabited census areas in Gerocarne. 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 102016. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.