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Calvello: 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 Calvello

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, Calvello.

Calvello, a mountain village south of Potenza

Calvello is a village in the Lucanian Apennines of Basilicata, south of Potenza, built on a slope above seven hundred metres and surrounded by woods and pasture. It is a mountain town with an old stone core and newer districts, and Potenza remains the place for work, the hospital and secondary schools, reached by car along mountain roads.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,774 residents in 2023, down 9.2% on 2011, or 179 fewer people. The average age of 47.5 is close to 47.3 for the province, over-65s are 27.6% and foreign residents 5.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Houses in the old centre are masonry, often on several floors and reached by steep lanes; those built outside the centre have more space and garages. Winters are cold (climate zone E) and heating weighs on a household budget, so insulation and windows are among the first things to check.

The Apennine part of Basilicata has high seismicity. Calvello is in seismic zone 1, as are 39 other municipalities in the province of Potenza, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.233 g in the built-up area. Before buying, ask for the construction date, the structural design and any upgrading work carried out.

On a mountain slope, what matters most is the individual plot. The report measures slope and elevation, checks the official landslide and flood maps and finds the plot on the Revenue Agency cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Lucanian Apennines, south of Potenza.
  • Population down 9.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.233 g.
  • Cold winters: check insulation and windows.

Overview

Calvello is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,774 residents, ranked 49 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Calvello 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 0.233 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Calvello, 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 9.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Calvello declared an average taxable income of 16,276 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Calvello is in climate zone E, with 2,237 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 730 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 1.7 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 1.5% of the land in Calvello, 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Calvello. 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 Calvello: 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 Calvello 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 9 inhabited census areas in Calvello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 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 076015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.