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Pizzo: 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

Search for an address in Pizzo

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 Marcello Salomone 5, Pizzo.

Pizzo, Murat's castle on the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia

Pizzo is built on a cliff dropping sheer into the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, with its harbour district at the foot of the old town. Joachim Murat, King of Naples, was shot in the Aragonese castle in 1815, and just outside the centre is the little church of Piedigrotta, carved out of the rock on the beach. Across Italy the name is also tied to the tartufo di Pizzo, the ice-cream dessert first made here.

With 8,773 residents at the end of 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, Pizzo ranks number 2 by population in the province of Vibo Valentia. The old centre is a web of tall, narrow houses, steps and lanes sloping down to the sea; outside it, along the coast, there are holiday villages, apartment complexes and holiday villas. The A2 motorway runs above the town and Lamezia Terme airport is not far.

The population is down 1.3% on 2011. The estimated average age is 46.3, slightly above the province, and foreign residents make up 7.7%. Declared incomes are higher than the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the key issue. All 50 municipalities in the province of Vibo Valentia are in seismic zone 1, the highest on the Civil Protection scale, and Pizzo's expected ground acceleration is about 0.269 g. For masonry houses in the old town on the cliff, and for villas put up quickly along the coast, a structural survey before signing is always worthwhile, together with a check of building permits and any condono, the amnesty for unauthorised work.

The report then looks at the exact spot of the house: how close it is to the sea and the cliff edge, and the landslide and flood maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the address leads to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Cliff-top town on the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, with Murat's castle.
  • Number 2 by population in the province of Vibo Valentia.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.269 g.
  • Cliff houses and coastal villas: check structure and permits.

Overview

Pizzo is a municipality in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 8,773 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pizzo 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 0.269 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pizzo, 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 1.3%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 7.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pizzo declared an average taxable income of 19,986 euros, above the provincial average (17,878 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pizzo is in climate zone B, with 880 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 44 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pizzo has 9 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 9 sports facilities.

There are 1.0 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 13.5% of the land in Pizzo, compared with 5.9% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.

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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pizzo, and 2 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 Pizzo: 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 Pizzo 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 56 inhabited census areas in Pizzo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.0%
  • fair 96.0%

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 102027. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.