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Palizzi: 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 Palizzi

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 Stracia 2, Palizzi.

Palizzi, from the seafront to the old village on the Ionian coast

Palizzi is split between its seafront district, along the Ionian coast and the SS106 coast road, and the old village inland, built on a rocky spur below the castle. It is one of the villages of the Grecanica area, the southern part of the province of Reggio Calabria where traditions and words of Greek origin survive, and the land climbs from the sea towards the Aspromonte mountains. Reggio Calabria is the provincial capital, reached along the coast.

The two parts of the municipality are very different for a buyer. By the sea there are newer houses, small blocks of flats and summer homes, with the beach close by. The old village has stone houses, steep alleys and buildings that often need renovating, with awkward access and work that a surveyor should price. Along the fiumare, the wide, often dry riverbeds typical of this coast, the official flood maps are checked for the address.

The population has fallen sharply. In 2023 there were 1,903 residents, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 17.2% since 2011, or 394 fewer. The average age is 51.5, against 45.2 in the province, and over-65s are 35.0%, against 23.6%. Foreign residents are 4.9%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

All 97 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 1, the highest on the Civil Protection scale, and in Palizzi the expected acceleration is 0.174 g. Before buying, ask for the design, the structural sign-off and the certificate of habitability, and for stone houses get a structural assessment.

The climate is zone C, with mild winters. The Revenue Agency publishes cadastral maps and the report finds the land parcel even for scattered buildings.

Key points

  • Seafront on the Ionian coast, old village below the castle.
  • Population down 17.2%; over-65s at 35.0%.
  • Whole province in seismic zone 1.
  • Fiumare riverbeds: check the flood maps.

Overview

Palizzi is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,903 residents, ranked 51 of 97 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palizzi 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 0.174 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Palizzi, 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 17.2%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (45). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palizzi declared an average taxable income of 16,853 euros, below the provincial average (19,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Palizzi is in climate zone C, with 1,205 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 272 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palizzi has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 2 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 3.4% of the land in Palizzi, 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 no contaminated sites in Palizzi.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palizzi: 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 Palizzi 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 30 inhabited census areas in Palizzi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • poor 0.3%
  • modest 26.0%
  • fair 73.8%

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 080056. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.