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Bella: 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 Bella

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 Vittorio Veneto 1, Bella.

Bella, a mountain town in the Potenza area near Irpinia

In the north-western part of the province of Potenza, towards the border with Campania, Bella sits on high ground at around 650 metres, surrounded by farmed hills and woodland. It is a mid-mountain town with a large territory and many houses scattered across rural districts, far from the coast and from the bigger towns.

The 1980 earthquake, which hit Irpinia and the Potenza area very hard, also left its mark on Bella, and much of the town was rebuilt or repaired in the following years. For a buyer today, this means finding many houses from the reconstruction period alongside older buildings that were never fully put right. Telling the two apart matters more than the asking price.

Bella is in seismic zone 1, the highest class set by the Civil Protection Department, like 39 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.232 g. Before buying, ask for the structural design, the reconstruction paperwork and details of any later work. On the slopes, the report also checks the official landslide maps address by address.

The population has been falling for years. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 4,666 residents in 2023, down 11.0% since 2011, or 574 fewer. The average age is 46.5, slightly below the provincial 47.3; over-65s make up 25.0% and foreign residents 6.0%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average and house prices remain low. Winters in climate zone E are cold, so insulation and heating weigh on running costs.

Key points

  • Upland town in north-west Basilicata, near the Campania border.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.232 g.
  • 4,666 residents, down 11.0% since 2011.
  • Many houses date from the rebuilding after the 1980 earthquake.

Overview

Bella is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 4,666 residents, ranked 17 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Bella is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 1b. Only 40 of 100 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.232 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Bella, 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 11.0%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 6.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Bella declared an average taxable income of 16,489 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Bella is in climate zone E, with 2,127 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 670 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Bella has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 3.0% of the land in Bella, 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

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. 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 Bella.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Bella: 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 Bella 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 42 inhabited census areas in Bella. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • 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 076012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.