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Ascea: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ascea

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: Corso Elea 1, Ascea.

Ascea, the ruins of Velia and the Cilento seaside

The ruins of Velia, the ancient Greek city of Elea and home of the philosophers Parmenides and Zeno, lie within the municipality of Ascea. The old village sits on a hill, a little above 200 metres, while Ascea Marina stretches along the Cilento coast, with a long beach and many holiday homes. The station on the Tyrrhenian railway links the seaside part with Salerno and Naples.

Buyers at the Marina are often looking for a second home, and in winter many flats stay shut. In the village up the hill, houses are older, on narrow sloping lanes. If you intend to live here all year, find out which services stay open out of season and how far you would need to drive to a hospital or a secondary school.

There were 5,777 residents in 2023, up 3.5% since 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office, which goes against the trend in many inland Cilento villages. The mean age of 46.9 is higher than the province of Salerno's 45.2, and over-65s make up 25.1%. Foreign residents account for 6.5%. Average incomes are below the provincial figure.

Ascea is in seismic zone 3, as are 43 municipalities in the province; another 97 are in zone 2 and 18 in zone 1. Expected ground acceleration is about 0.083 g, a low value. For the blocks of flats near the sea, mostly built in recent decades, the structural drawings and inspection certificate are still worth asking for.

On the coast and on the slopes, the report checks erosion, landslide and flood hazard for each address, starting from the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps. Climate zone C means mild winters.

Key points

  • Velia's ruins, a hill village and a seaside part with a station.
  • 5,777 residents, up 3.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.083 g.
  • Many holiday homes: check which services stay open in winter.

Overview

Ascea is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 5,777 residents, ranked 42 of 158 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ascea is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 43 of 158 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.083 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 3.5%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (45). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ascea declared an average taxable income of 17,782 euros, below the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ascea is in climate zone C, with 1,338 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 235 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ascea has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).

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 10.8% of the land in Ascea, 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

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Ascea. 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 Ascea: 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 Ascea 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 63 inhabited census areas in Ascea. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.2%
  • fair 69.4%
  • good 29.4%

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 065009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.