Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Rocca Imperiale: 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 Rocca Imperiale

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 Lido 1, Rocca Imperiale.

Rocca Imperiale, a Swabian castle and lemons on the Ionian

The last municipality in Calabria along the Ionian coast before Basilicata, Rocca Imperiale is dominated by the Swabian castle built for Frederick II, visible from far off as you approach along the coast. The old village is on a hill at about two hundred metres, with houses stacked in steps below the castle; further down, near the sea, is the Marina. The area is known for the Rocca Imperiale lemon, which has protected IGP status.

The market splits sharply. In the old village there are masonry houses, often small and reached by steps, some empty or in need of renovation; at the Marina, recent flats and detached houses, including summer homes. The SS106 coast road and the Ionian railway run along the shore. For the hospital and larger services people head towards the Sibari plain or to Policoro, in Basilicata.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 3,165 residents in 2023, down 3.9% since 2011. The average age is 47.5, slightly above the 46.1 of Cosenza province, and foreign nationals make up 9.0%, many of them working in farming on the plain. Average incomes are below the provincial average.

Rocca Imperiale is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.093 g, lower than in much of Calabria. For houses in the old village it is still worth having the load-bearing walls and roofs checked. Near the streams of the coastal plain the report checks the official flood maps for the address. The climate is mild, zone C.

Key points

  • Swabian castle on the hill, Marina on the Ionian.
  • Home of the Rocca Imperiale IGP lemon.
  • 3,165 residents, foreign nationals at 9.0%.
  • Seismic zone 2, acceleration 0.093 g.

Overview

Rocca Imperiale is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 3,165 residents, ranked 46 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rocca Imperiale 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 0.093 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Rocca Imperiale, 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 3.9%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 9.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rocca Imperiale declared an average taxable income of 15,443 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Rocca Imperiale is in climate zone C, with 1,218 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 204 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rocca Imperiale has 7 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets.

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 4.0% of the land in Rocca Imperiale, compared with 4.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 hectares.

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 open contaminated sites in Rocca Imperiale; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Rocca Imperiale: 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 Rocca Imperiale 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 35 inhabited census areas in Rocca Imperiale. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • poor 0.2%
  • modest 3.3%
  • fair 63.5%
  • good 32.9%

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 078103. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.