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Castelgrande: 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 Castelgrande

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 Guglielmo Marconi 1, Castelgrande.

Castelgrande, a mountain village with an observatory on the Toppo

Castelgrande is a mountain village in the north-west of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza, not far from the border with Campania. Above the houses rises the Toppo di Castelgrande, the summit where an astronomical observatory stands: it is the landmark most visitors notice first. Around the village there are pastures, woods and fields, and for a fuller range of services people go to the larger towns in the area or to Potenza.

Buyers here usually choose between a house in the centre, built on sloping ground, and a country house out in the surrounding land. Either way winters are cold, so insulation and the heating system need a close look. On the slopes, the report checks the official landslide maps for the exact address, since in the mountains the picture changes from one street to the next.

The village has lost many residents: at the end of 2023 there were 807, 20.7% fewer than the 1,018 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 53.1, against 47.3 in the province, and over-65s reach 35.7% (25.7% provincially). Households are small, with 1.86 members on average, and average declared income is below the provincial figure.

For a buyer, the key issue is earthquakes. Castelgrande is in seismic zone 1, the highest, together with 39 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.260 g. Before buying, have a structural engineer look at the house and ask for the design, the completion certificate and any seismic upgrading carried out.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report links the address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Mountain village in Basilicata, with an observatory on the Toppo.
  • Population down 20.7% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 35.7%, against 25.7% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.260 g.

Overview

Castelgrande is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 807 residents, ranked 80 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelgrande 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 1a. 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castelgrande, 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 20.7%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (47). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelgrande declared an average taxable income of 15,181 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelgrande has 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.3 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 2.4% of the land in Castelgrande, 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 Castelgrande.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castelgrande: 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 Castelgrande 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 10 inhabited census areas in Castelgrande. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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 076021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.