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Giffone: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Giffone

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 Giuseppe Garibaldi 1, Giffone.

Giffone, on the high ground above the Gioia Tauro plain

Giffone sits on the high ground that closes off the inland side of the Gioia Tauro plain, in the northern part of the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria (the former province), where the hills start rising towards the Serre mountains. The village is at almost six hundred metres, with chestnut and oak woods above and olive groves lower down. For services, secondary schools and the hospital people go down to the towns on the plain, and Reggio is reached by car.

Buyers here mostly find village houses, often built by families over several decades, on several floors and sometimes with parts still to be finished. Before making an offer, have a surveyor check planning and cadastral compliance and the state of the structure and the heating and electrics. Winters are cooler than on the coast (climate zone D).

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 1,606 residents in 2023, down 17.5% from 1,946 in 2011. The average age is 44.8, close to the provincial 45.2, and households average 2.44 people. Foreign residents make up 0.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

All 97 municipalities in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria are in seismic zone 1, and in Giffone the expected ground acceleration is 0.255 g. Whether the building is reinforced concrete or masonry, the key question is the structural design and its sign-off: ask for the documents at the town hall.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report works back from the address to the land parcel. On the slopes, gradient and the official landslide maps are read for the individual house.

Key points

  • High ground above the Gioia Tauro plain, towards the Serre.
  • Village houses to check for compliance and structure.
  • All 97 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 1.
  • Residents down 17.5% since 2011.

Overview

Giffone is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,606 residents, ranked 54 of 97 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Giffone is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. All 97 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.255 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Giffone, 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 17.5%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 0.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Giffone declared an average taxable income of 14,060 euros, below the provincial average (19,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Giffone is in climate zone D, with 1,896 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 594 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 3.0% of the land in Giffone, compared with 5.8% 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Giffone. 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 Giffone: 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 Giffone 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 12 inhabited census areas in Giffone. 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 080037. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.