Spezzano 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Spezzano 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 Nazionale 1, Spezzano Albanese.
Spezzano Albanese, an Arbëreshë town above the Crati valley
Spezzano Albanese is one of the Arbëreshë communities in the province of Cosenza. The Arbëreshë descend from Albanian families who settled in southern Italy centuries ago, and their language can still be heard at home and during local festivals, alongside Italian. The town sits on a hill at roughly three hundred and twenty metres, overlooking the lower Crati valley, the plain that runs down towards Sibari and the Ionian Sea.
For a buyer, the useful distinction is between the old town, with houses packed together along narrow, sloping streets, and the newer buildings that have spread around the edges and towards the plain. In older houses, look closely at the roof, damp in the walls and the state of the wiring and plumbing. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average. The price band for the area, from the Revenue Agency's property market observatory (OMI), is included in the report for each address.
In 2023 the town had 6,553 residents, down 8.4% on the 7,157 recorded in the 2011 census by Istat, Italy's national statistics office. Many inland Calabrian towns have followed the same path. The average age is 45.8, close to the provincial figure of 46.1, and foreign residents make up 5.7%.
Earthquakes are the issue not to underestimate. In the province of Cosenza, 65 municipalities are in seismic zone 1, the highest hazard class set by the Civil Protection Department, and 85 are in zone 2, Spezzano Albanese among them. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.259 g, a high value. For a stone or brick house in the old town, ask whether seismic strengthening work has been done; for a reinforced concrete building, the design year and structural sign-off matter.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, so the report can trace an address to its land parcel. Landslide risk on the hillsides and flood risk towards the Crati plain are checked plot by plot.
Key points
- Arbëreshë community on a hill above the lower Crati valley.
- 6,553 residents, down 8.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.259 g.
- Average incomes below the Cosenza provincial average.
Overview
Spezzano Albanese is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 6,553 residents, ranked 26 of 150 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Spezzano 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 0.259 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Spezzano 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 8.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Spezzano Albanese declared an average taxable income of 15,725 euros, below the provincial average (18,237 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Spezzano Albanese is in climate zone D, with 1,462 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 320 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Spezzano Albanese has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 8.4% of the land in Spezzano Albanese, compared with 4.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.3 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Spezzano Albanese. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Spezzano 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 Spezzano 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 48 inhabited census areas in Spezzano Albanese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.1%
- fair 96.9%
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 078142. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.