San Donato di Ninea: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Donato di Ninea
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 San Lazzaro 1, San Donato di Ninea.
San Donato di Ninea, Calabrian mountains in the Pollino park
In the mountains on the Calabrian side of the Pollino, within the national park, San Donato di Ninea stands at around 800 metres, with its old centre perched high and stone houses following the curves of the slope. Around it lie woods, pasture and small fields, and higher up the mountains that separate this valley from the Tyrrhenian coast.
Depopulation in recent years has hit this village hard. People who buy here usually do so to return to a family village, for a mountain holiday home or for a life away from the city, knowing that the hospital, secondary schools and work mean driving down to the valley towns. Houses in the centre often need renovating: structure, roofs, systems and insulation should be assessed by a surveyor. The climate zone is E, with cold winters and some snow. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.
The figures are stark: 1,076 residents in 2023, 415 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 27.8%. The average age is 52.9, against 46.1 in the province, and 36.3% of residents are over 65. Households are small, 1.90 people on average.
For earthquakes the municipality is in seismic zone 2, like 84 other municipalities in the province of Cosenza, while 65 are in zone 1. The expected ground acceleration is 0.241 g, a value that makes it important to know how a masonry house was built and strengthened.
On the slopes the report checks the official landslide maps and measures the gradient of the plot. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published here too.
Key points
- Mountain village at around 800 metres, in the Pollino area.
- Population down 27.8% since 2011.
- Over-65s at 36.3%, households of 1.90.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.241 g.
Overview
San Donato di Ninea is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,076 residents, ranked 114 of 150 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Donato di Ninea 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 0.241 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Donato di Ninea, 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 27.8%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (46). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Donato di Ninea declared an average taxable income of 14,078 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Donato di Ninea is in climate zone E, with 2,421 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 800 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Donato di Ninea has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 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 San Donato di Ninea, 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 Donato di Ninea.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Donato di Ninea: 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 Donato di Ninea 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 17 inhabited census areas in San Donato di Ninea. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 20.2%
- fair 79.8%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 078115. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.