Mileto: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Mileto
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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Mileto.
Mileto, the old Norman capital between Vibo and the plain
In the eleventh century Mileto was the capital of Count Roger de Hauteville, the Norman who conquered Calabria and Sicily, and it remained an important town for centuries. The earthquake of 1783 destroyed it, and the town was rebuilt on a nearby site; the remains of the old city are now an archaeological area. Mileto is still a seat of the diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea.
The municipality lies between Vibo Valentia, about ten kilometres away, and the Gioia Tauro plain, on the southern slopes of the Poro plateau. The A2 motorway runs close by, making it easy to reach Vibo, Lamezia and Reggio. Buyers will find masonry houses in the centre, small apartment blocks from the later twentieth century and homes scattered through the olive groves. Declared incomes are below the provincial average, and climate zone C means mild winters.
In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 6,292 residents, down 8.7% on 2011, or 602 fewer people. Mileto is still number 4 in the province of Vibo Valentia by population. It is a little younger than the provincial average: an average age of 44.6 against 45.5, over-65s at 21.6% against 24.0%. Foreign residents make up 4.8%.
The town's history already says a lot about earthquake hazard. All 50 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 1, the highest class set by Italy's Civil Protection Department, and in Mileto the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.268 g, high even by Calabrian standards. Before buying, get the building's design documents, the structural sign-off and a list of structural work; for an old masonry house, paying an engineer for an inspection is money well spent.
On the slopes and along the streams running down to the plain, the report checks landslide and flood hazard for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so each address leads to its plot.
Key points
- Count Roger's capital, rebuilt after the 1783 earthquake.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.268 g.
- Population down 8.7% since 2011.
- About ten kilometres from Vibo Valentia, with the A2 nearby.
Overview
Mileto is a municipality in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 6,292 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 50).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mileto 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 Mileto, 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 8.7%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mileto declared an average taxable income of 16,047 euros, below the provincial average (17,878 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Mileto is in climate zone C, with 1,241 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 365 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mileto has 8 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.
There are 1.3 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.7).
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 6.3% of the land in Mileto, 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 low. 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 Mileto. 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 Mileto: 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 Mileto 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 24 inhabited census areas in Mileto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.3%
- fair 99.7%
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
- 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 102021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.