Acerno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Pietro Vezzi 1, Acerno.
Acerno, in the woods of the Picentini mountains
Acerno is a mountain village in the heart of the Picentini mountains, the green, wooded area behind Salerno and the Sele plain. The centre sits above seven hundred metres, surrounded by beech and chestnut woods, and in summer it draws people looking for cooler air not far from the coast. The road down to the valley is the only real link with larger towns, so work, secondary schools and hospital all mean a drive along winding roads.
Buyers here are usually looking for a traditional masonry village house, or a place for summers and weekends. The climate is zone E: long winters, with snow not unusual, and the heating on for many months. Before buying, check the roof and any damp in the walls, which in the mountains are the first items of expense.
Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 2,517 residents in 2023, down 12.4% since 2011. The average age is 45.5, almost the same as 45.2 for the province of Salerno, and 21.7% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents are few, 2.1%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.
Acerno is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.147 g in the built-up area; 96 other municipalities in the province share the same zone. For a stone house, ask whether structural work has been carried out and whether the drawings still exist.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published, so the report reaches the land parcel. On mountain slopes, the official landslide maps need to be read for the exact address.
Key points
- Mountain village in the Picentini range, behind Salerno
- 2,517 residents, down 12.4% since 2011
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.147 g
Overview
Acerno is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 2,517 residents, ranked 70 of 158 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Acerno is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (97 of 158) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.147 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Acerno, 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 12.4%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 2.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Acerno declared an average taxable income of 13,698 euros, below the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Acerno is in climate zone E, with 2,459 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 727 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Acerno has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
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 1.9% of the land in Acerno, compared with 8.0% in the province and 10.6% 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 medium. 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 Acerno.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Acerno: 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 Acerno 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 13 inhabited census areas in Acerno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 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
- 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 065001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.