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Saracena: 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 Saracena

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 Santa Maria Maddalena 2, Saracena.

Saracena, moscato wine on the slopes of the Pollino

Moscato passito di Saracena, a sweet wine made in small quantities using an old method, has made this village known well beyond Calabria. Saracena lies on the Calabrian side of the Pollino massif, inside the national park, looking out over the plain of Sibari and not far from Castrovillari, the local centre for services and the hospital.

The village is perched on a ridge, with a dense old centre of alleys, steps and stone houses built against each other, and newer growth further down. Prices in the old village are low, but many houses have stood empty for years and need major work on roofs, walls and wiring; cars cannot reach every door. Anyone thinking of a holiday home or a return to family roots should carefully cost the whole renovation.

Depopulation is severe: there were 3,360 residents in 2023, down 15.2% on 2011. The average age has reached 50.0, against 46.1 in the province, and over-65s make up 31.8%, against 24.4%. Foreign residents account for 3.5%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Saracena is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is high, about 0.255 g. In the stone houses of the old centre, the quality of the masonry and of the ties between walls and floors is decisive, and a surveyor should see them before you make an offer. On the steep slopes, the report checks the official landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Home of moscato passito, on the Calabrian side of the Pollino.
  • Residents down 15.2% since 2011.
  • Average age 50.0, over-65s at 31.8%.
  • Seismic zone 2 but high acceleration: 0.255 g.

Overview

Saracena is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 3,360 residents, ranked 42 of 150 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Saracena 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 0.255 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Saracena, 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 15.2%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (46). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Saracena declared an average taxable income of 15,369 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Saracena is in climate zone D, with 2,014 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 606 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Saracena has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

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 1.5% of the land in Saracena, compared with 4.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

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 Saracena.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Saracena: 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 Saracena 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 24 inhabited census areas in Saracena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.0%
  • fair 95.0%

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 078136. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.