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San Cosmo Albanese: 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 Cosmo Albanese

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 Scanderbek 1, San Cosmo Albanese.

San Cosmo Albanese, an Arbëreshë village and its healer saints

San Cosmo Albanese is one of the Arbëreshë villages of Calabria, founded by Albanian refugees who reached southern Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Arbëreshë language is still spoken in the village, and the church follows the Byzantine rite. The sanctuary of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the two physician saints who give the village its name, draws pilgrims from across the area on their feast days.

The village stands in the hills of the province of Cosenza, at around four hundred metres, with houses built on sloping ground. The climate is zone D. For work, secondary schools and the hospital people drive down to the larger towns on the plain and the Ionian coast.

There were 558 residents in 2023, 71 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 11.3%. The average age, 46.4, is close to the provincial figure of 46.1. Foreign nationals make up 16.7% of residents, and households average 2.15 people. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is high. In the province of Cosenza 65 municipalities are in zone 1 and 85 in zone 2; San Cosmo is in zone 2, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is high, about 0.263 g. Anyone buying an older house should find out when and how it was built and have the structure checked by a surveyor.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available. The report starts from the address, finds the plot, measures the slope and checks landslide and flood hazard on the official maps.

Key points

  • Arbëreshë village of Byzantine rite in the province of Cosenza.
  • Average age 46.4, foreign nationals 16.7%.
  • Seismic zone 2 with high expected acceleration, about 0.263 g.
  • Houses on slopes: check landslide risk plot by plot.

Overview

San Cosmo Albanese is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 558 residents, among the smallest in the province (141 of 150).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Cosmo Albanese 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 0.263 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Cosmo Albanese, 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 11.3%. 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 16.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Cosmo Albanese declared an average taxable income of 14,741 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Cosmo Albanese is in climate zone D, with 1,623 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 400 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Cosmo Albanese has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy.

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 3.2% of the land in San Cosmo Albanese, 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 San Cosmo Albanese.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Cosmo Albanese: 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 Cosmo Albanese 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 4 inhabited census areas in San Cosmo Albanese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.2%
  • fair 97.8%

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 078113. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.