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San Sostene: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in San Sostene

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 Roma 1, San Sostene.

San Sostene, a hill village and its marina on the Ionian coast

San Sostene has two sides. The old village sits in the hills at around 470 metres, while the Marina lies on the Ionian coast, around the Gulf of Squillace and Soverato. Buyers are really choosing between two lifestyles: a hill village with narrow lanes, or a seaside resort with newer homes, seasonal services and the coast road close by.

The SS106 coast road and the Ionian railway run along the shore, while the upper village is reached only by hill roads. The report measures the distance from each address to schools, pharmacies and shops, which differs a good deal between the upper village and the Marina.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,409 residents in 2023, up 7.5% on the 1,311 of 2011, a different trend from many inland villages in Calabria. The average age is 43.9, below the provincial 46.1, and over-65s make up 22.3%. Foreign residents account for 4.0%.

On earthquakes, San Sostene is in seismic zone 2, like 35 of the 80 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.195 g in the built-up area. For newer houses on the coast, as for older homes in the village, ask for the structural design and check whether the building has been upgraded.

Streams run between the hills and the sea and can carry a lot of water in winter. The report compares the address with the official landslide and flood maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the whole municipality.

Key points

  • Hill village plus a marina on the Ionian coast near Soverato.
  • Population up 7.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.195 g.
  • Streams between hills and sea: check landslides and floods.

Overview

San Sostene is a municipality in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,409 residents, ranked 52 of 80 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Sostene is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 35 of 80 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.195 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Sostene, 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 grown by 7.5%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Sostene declared an average taxable income of 15,656 euros, below the provincial average (19,667 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Sostene is in climate zone D, with 1,647 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 470 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Sostene has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 4.3% of the land in San Sostene, compared with 6.6% 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 Sostene.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Sostene: 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 Sostene 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 16 inhabited census areas in San Sostene. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.7%
  • fair 86.2%
  • good 10.1%

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 079116. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.