Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

San Basile: 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 San Basile

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 della Liberta' 3, San Basile.

San Basile, an Arbëreshë village at the foot of the Pollino

San Basile is one of Calabria's Arbëreshë communities, villages founded centuries ago by Albanian refugees who still keep their language and the Byzantine religious rite. The village sits on the lower slopes of the Pollino massif, above the plain of Castrovillari, at around 540 metres.

Castrovillari is the main town for the hospital, secondary schools and shops, and it is also where you join the A2 motorway. The village has basic services. Houses in the centre are masonry buildings on several floors, often altered at different times, and around the old centre there are newer reinforced-concrete houses. The climate is that of the hills, with cool winters (climate zone D) and hot but breezy summers.

The most striking figure is age. In 2023 there were 916 residents, down 14.0% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, with an average age of 53.7 against 46.1 in the province of Cosenza and over-65s at 39.3% against 24.4%. Foreign residents account for 4.4%. Declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.

Earthquakes are a serious matter here. In the Civil Protection classification the province of Cosenza has 65 municipalities in zone 1 and the rest in zone 2, where San Basile sits alongside 84 others. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is nonetheless high, at 0.257 g. Before buying, ask when the building was put up, whether floors were added later and whether any structural checks exist.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality. For a building on a slope, the report checks the address against the official landslide maps.

Key points

  • Arbëreshë community on the lower slopes of the Pollino.
  • Castrovillari close by for services and the A2 motorway.
  • Over-65s at 39.3%, against 24.4% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.257 g.

Overview

San Basile is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 916 residents, ranked 126 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Basile 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 0.257 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Basile, 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 14.0%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (46). 39% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Basile declared an average taxable income of 19,692 euros, above the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Basile is in climate zone D, with 1,883 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 540 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Basile has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 2.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 3.3% of the land in San Basile, 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

Official databases list no contaminated sites in San Basile.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Basile: 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 San Basile 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 6 inhabited census areas in San Basile. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 078111. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.