Motta San Giovanni: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Motta San Giovanni
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 Nazionale 1, Motta San Giovanni.
Motta San Giovanni, from the hill town to the sea at Lazzaro
In the hills south-east of Reggio Calabria, Motta San Giovanni has two quite separate sides. The old town stands at about four hundred and fifty metres, looking out towards the Strait of Messina and Sicily, while down on the coast is Lazzaro, the district that grew up along the railway and the Ionian coast road. On the heights of the municipality stand the ruins of the Byzantine castle of Sant'Aniceto.
For buyers, the choice is clear-cut. Lazzaro has the station on the Ionian line, the sea and quick links to Reggio; the upper town has stone houses, steep streets and a quieter life. Average declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average, and the data list 7 school sites, 3 pharmacies and 4 supermarkets.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,522 residents in 2023, 600 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 9.8%. The average age of 48.1 is above the provincial 45.2, and over-65s make up 28.1%. Foreign residents are 5.1%.
Earthquakes need to be taken seriously here. All 97 municipalities in the province of Reggio Calabria are in seismic zone 1, the highest on the Civil Protection Department's scale, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.260 g. Before buying, ask for the construction date, the structural design filed with the authorities, any vulnerability assessment and the work carried out; for masonry houses in the upper town, have an engineer assess whether strengthening is needed.
The land drops steeply to the sea and is cut by fiumare, riverbeds that are dry most of the year but fill fast in heavy rain. Landslide and flood risk are checked for the individual address on the official maps, and the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps let the report trace the plot.
Key points
- Hill town at about 450 metres and the seaside district of Lazzaro.
- 5,522 residents, down 9.8% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.260 g.
- Steep slopes and seasonal riverbeds: check landslide and flood risk.
Overview
Motta San Giovanni is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 5,522 residents, ranked 21 of 97 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Motta San Giovanni 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Motta San Giovanni, 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 9.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Motta San Giovanni declared an average taxable income of 20,573 euros, above the provincial average (19,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Motta San Giovanni is in climate zone D, with 1,535 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 450 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Motta San Giovanni has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets and 4 sports facilities.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 7.2% of the land in Motta San Giovanni, 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
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Motta San Giovanni.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Motta San Giovanni: 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 Motta San Giovanni 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 69 inhabited census areas in Motta San Giovanni. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 16.3%
- fair 83.7%
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 080054. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.