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Barile: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Barile

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 Alcide de Gasperi 1, Barile.

Barile, tufa wine cellars and Albanian roots on Mount Vulture

Barile is one of the towns of the Vulture, the extinct volcanic area in northern Basilicata, and also one of the region's Arbëreshë communities, of Albanian origin. It sits at around 600 metres on slopes facing Rionero in Vulture and Rapolla, among vineyards and olive groves. The town is known for the cellars cut into the tufa rock on the edge of the built-up area, where Aglianico del Vulture, the local red wine, has been kept for generations.

The centre has low houses of stone and tufa, sloping streets and small squares. For buyers, prices are modest: alongside lived-in homes there are houses closed for some time, to be assessed carefully for roof, damp, wiring and plumbing. Potenza can be reached by car, as can the larger Vulture towns for secondary schools and healthcare. A private cellar, where there is one, is something many buyers value.

The population is 2,569 (2023 figure from Istat, the national statistics office), down 11.6% since 2011. Over-65s make up 23.2%, below the Potenza province average of 25.7%. Foreign residents account for 6.7%. Average incomes are close to the provincial figure, slightly below.

Barile is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.182 g. The hazard is significant, as across much of the Lucanian Apennines, so for a masonry house ask for records of any work done and look into the Italian tax incentives for seismic upgrades.

Volcanic tufa and slopes call for attention to gradient and drainage. For each address the report reads the official landslide and flood maps and measures distances to schools, pharmacies and shops.

Key points

  • Vulture area, a community of Albanian origin.
  • Tufa cellars for Aglianico del Vulture wine.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.182 g.
  • Population down 11.6% since 2011.

Overview

Barile is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 2,569 residents, ranked 38 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Barile is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2b. Most municipalities in the province (59 of 100) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.182 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Barile, 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 11.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 6.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Barile declared an average taxable income of 19,953 euros, in line with the province (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Barile is in climate zone D, with 2,079 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 620 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Barile has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.

There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

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 6.0% of the land in Barile, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Barile.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Barile: 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 Barile 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 25 inhabited census areas in Barile. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 12.4%
  • good 87.6%

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 076011. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.