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Orsomarso: 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 Orsomarso

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 Marina 40, Orsomarso.

Orsomarso, the Argentino valley in the Pollino park

Orsomarso is wedged among the rocks at the mouth of the Argentino river valley, on the Tyrrhenian side of the Pollino National Park. The village itself is low-lying, but behind it begins rugged, thinly populated mountain country, with gorges, beech forests and the mountains that take their name from the village, the Monti di Orsomarso. The sea along the Tyrrhenian coast of the province of Cosenza is close by.

The old centre is a tangle of narrow houses, stepped lanes and alleys, with little room for cars. Buyers here often have in mind a second home between sea and mountains, or a house to renovate at a modest price; either way, have a surveyor check the structure, damp and access, and find out where you can park. The climate zone is C, with mild winters. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Cosenza.

The village has lost many residents: 1,090 residents in 2023, 248 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 18.5%. The average age is 50.6, against 46.1 in the province, and 31.3% are over 65. Foreign nationals are few, at 1.2%.

For earthquakes, Orsomarso is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.188 g; in the province 65 municipalities are in zone 1 and 85 in zone 2. In the older houses of the centre, often built against one another, structural work needs to be assessed together with the neighbours.

Between rock faces and the river, landslides, rockfalls and floods need checking for each address, and the report does this with the official maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Village at the mouth of the Argentino valley, in the Pollino park.
  • Population down 18.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.188 g.
  • Lanes and steps in the centre: check access and parking.

Overview

Orsomarso is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,090 residents, ranked 112 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Orsomarso is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (85 of 150) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.188 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Orsomarso, 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 18.5%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (46). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Orsomarso declared an average taxable income of 15,160 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Orsomarso is in climate zone C, with 1,097 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 120 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Orsomarso has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 4 parks and green areas.

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 1.1% of the land in Orsomarso, 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

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 no contaminated sites in Orsomarso.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Orsomarso: 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 Orsomarso 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 19 inhabited census areas in Orsomarso. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 20.9%
  • fair 79.1%

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 078088. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.