Castellabate: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Castellabate
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: Contrada Annunziata 1, Castellabate.
Castellabate, the abbot's hilltop village and its Cilento beaches
Castellabate is one of the best known towns on the Cilento coast, inside the Cilento National Park south of Salerno. The old village stands on a hill around the castle built by the abbot who gave it its name, with narrow lanes and viewpoints over the sea; lower down are the coastal resorts of Santa Maria di Castellabate, San Marco and Ogliastro Marina, running out to Punta Licosa. The sea in front is a marine protected area. The film "Benvenuti al Sud", shot here, made the town famous across Italy.
The housing market is largely driven by tourism. Many properties are second homes or holiday lets rented out in summer, and seaside prices are higher than in inland Cilento. Anyone looking for a year-round home will find most services in Santa Maria, while the old village is quieter but has narrow access and difficult parking. There are 14.75 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents against a provincial average of 6.28.
The population is growing: 8,676 residents in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics institute, 5.7% more than in 2011. Yet it is older than the province of Salerno, with a mean age of 46.9 against 45.2 and 25.0% over 65. Households are small (1.95 people on average) and foreign residents are 5.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Earthquake risk here is lower than inland. Castellabate is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 43 municipalities in the province, while 97 are in zone 2 and 18 in zone 1; the expected ground acceleration is about 0.076 g. For seaside homes, salt air, damp and maintenance matter, and for those built during the tourism boom years, whether the building permits are in order.
Between the village and the beaches there are steep slopes and, in places, a high rocky coast. The report reads landslide and flood data at the address and, using the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency, finds the land parcel.
Key points
- Hill village and resorts: Santa Maria, San Marco, Ogliastro Marina.
- 14.75 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents against 6.28 in the province.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.076 g.
- Holiday homes: check building permits and upkeep.
Overview
Castellabate is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 8,676 residents, ranked 30 of 158 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castellabate 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 0.076 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 5.7%. 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 5.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castellabate declared an average taxable income of 18,051 euros, below the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castellabate is in climate zone C, with 1,088 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 35 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castellabate has 11 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 12 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.
There are 0.1 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 14.1% of the land in Castellabate, 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
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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Castellabate, and one more has been cleaned up or closed. 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 Castellabate: 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 Castellabate 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 86 inhabited census areas in Castellabate. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.0%
- fair 47.2%
- good 52.8%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 065031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.