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Lago: 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 Lago

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 San Lorenzo 1, Lago.

Lago, in the Coastal Range inland from Amantea

Lago is a village inland from the Tyrrhenian coast in the province of Cosenza, in the Catena Costiera, the range of mountains that separates the coast from the Crati valley. Amantea and the sea lie downhill to the west, while Cosenza is on the far side of the mountains. The village is built in a narrow valley, its houses packed around the churches and lanes of the centre.

Anyone thinking of buying here will mostly find masonry village houses, often in need of work, and farmhouses in the outlying hamlets and countryside. It suits people who want quiet and a climate cooler than the coast, or a house from which to drive down to the sea in summer. The terrain is steep, so the report checks gradient and the official landslide and flood maps for the address.

The population has been falling for years. Istat, the national statistics institute, counts 2,298 residents in 2023, down 14.5% since 2011. The average age is 49.5, higher than the 46.1 of the province of Cosenza, and people over 65 make up 29.5%. Foreign residents account for 3.6%, and declared incomes are below the provincial average.

For earthquakes Lago is in seismic zone 1, the highest class set by the Civil Protection Department, like 64 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.239 g. For an old masonry house, have a surveyor explain how walls and floors are tied together and whether any strengthening has been done.

The climate is zone D. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Lago, and the report reaches the plot.

Key points

  • Village in the Coastal Range, inland from Amantea.
  • Masonry village houses and farmhouses in the hamlets.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.239 g.
  • Over-65s at 29.5%; population down since 2011.

Overview

Lago is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,298 residents, ranked 66 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lago is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 65 of 150 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.239 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Lago, 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 14.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lago declared an average taxable income of 15,055 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Lago is in climate zone D, with 1,787 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 485 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no healthcare facilities 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 2.3% of the land in Lago, 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

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Lago; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Lago: 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 Lago 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 36 inhabited census areas in Lago. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 52 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.0%
  • fair 95.0%

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 078062. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.