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Zagarise: 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 Zagarise

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, Zagarise.

Zagarise, the Catanzaro Presila facing the Ionian Sea

Zagarise is a village in the Presila area of Catanzaro, on the first slopes of the Sila Piccola that run down towards the Ionian Sea, with its centre at around 580 metres. Above the village the Sila forests begin; downhill the land opens out into farmed hills and olive groves.

Catanzaro and the Ionian coast are where people go for work, hospital care and secondary schools, along mountain roads that need care in winter. Most of the housing is masonry village houses on several floors with little outside space, alongside some newer buildings on the approach roads. Buyers should budget for upgrading work and for heating.

The population has fallen to 1,394 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, 19.6% fewer than the 1,733 of 2011. The average age is 49.0 against 46.1 for the province, and over-65s make up 29.0%. Foreign residents account for 2.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the issue to take most seriously. In the province of Catanzaro, 45 municipalities are in zone 1 and 35 in zone 2; Zagarise is in zone 2, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.236 g, a high value. Before signing, have an engineer look at load-bearing walls, floors and the connections between them, and ask whether the building has had seismic improvement work.

Slopes need assessing case by case: the report compares the address with the official landslide and flood maps. Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality.

Key points

  • Catanzaro Presila, on Sila Piccola slopes facing the Ionian.
  • Expected seismic acceleration 0.236 g, zone 2.
  • Population down 19.6% since 2011.
  • Masonry houses: get a structural survey before buying.

Overview

Zagarise is a municipality in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,394 residents, ranked 53 of 80 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Zagarise 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 0.236 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Zagarise, 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 19.6%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (46). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Zagarise declared an average taxable income of 16,351 euros, below the provincial average (19,667 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Zagarise is in climate zone D, with 1,983 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 581 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Zagarise 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 2.1% of the land in Zagarise, 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 Zagarise.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Zagarise: 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 Zagarise 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 8 inhabited census areas in Zagarise. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 079157. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.