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Papasidero: 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 Papasidero

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 Montagna 1, Papasidero.

Papasidero, the Lao valley and the Grotta del Romito

In the Grotta del Romito, a cave within Papasidero's territory, a bull was carved into the rock during the Palaeolithic, and it is because of this figure that the village's name appears in art history books. The village sits in the valley of the river Lao, inside the Pollino National Park, along a stretch of gorges and rock walls also popular for rafting.

For a buyer, the picture is a valley village with its centre built on the slope, stone houses packed closely together and narrow streets. Winters are mild for the altitude (climate zone C), but the main services and the Tyrrhenian coast are reached by car down the valley.

The population has shrunk a lot: 604 residents in 2023, 204 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 25.2%. The average age is 53.7, against 46.1 in the province of Cosenza, and over-65s make up 33.1% of residents (24.4% provincewide). Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The seismic hazard is high. Papasidero is in zone 2, like 84 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of around 0.221 g. In a stone house in the centre, have a surveyor check walls and floors and ask whether any strengthening work has been done.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address. Between the steep slopes and the valley floor along the Lao, landslide and flood conditions vary a great deal: the report checks them on the official maps for each house.

Key points

  • Lao valley, within the Pollino National Park.
  • Home to the Grotta del Romito and its Palaeolithic bull carving.
  • 604 residents in 2023, down 25.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration around 0.221 g.

Overview

Papasidero is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 604 residents, among the smallest in the province (139 of 150).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Papasidero 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 0.221 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Papasidero, 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 25.2%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (46). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Papasidero declared an average taxable income of 13,727 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Papasidero is in climate zone C, with 1,260 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 208 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Papasidero has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 1.3% of the land in Papasidero, 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 Papasidero.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Papasidero: 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 Papasidero 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 18 inhabited census areas in Papasidero. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.6%
  • fair 96.4%

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 078092. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.