Castelmezzano: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Castelmezzano
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 Santa Croce 1, Castelmezzano.
Castelmezzano, among the spires of the Lucanian Dolomites
Castelmezzano climbs in tiers beneath the sandstone spires of the Lucanian Dolomites, the pointed rocks that give their name to the Gallipoli Cognato and Piccole Dolomiti Lucane regional park. Across the valley stands Pietrapertosa, and between the two villages runs the Volo dell'Angelo, a ride hanging from a steel cable that brings plenty of visitors in summer.
Tourism shows in the figures: there are 9.94 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 4.56 in the province of Potenza. Houses in the centre are small and built of stone, stacked along alleys and flights of steps, and a number are used as second homes or let to tourists. With rock faces so close to the houses, the report is worth reading for the exact address: it checks the official landslide hazard maps and measures the slope and elevation of the plot.
Outside summer the village is small and elderly. In 2023 it had 704 residents, down 17.4% on 2011, with an average age of 51.2 against 47.3 in the province. Over-65s make up 32.5%, households have 1.98 members on average and declared income is below the provincial average.
Castelmezzano is in seismic zone 2 in the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, like 58 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.176 g. Where houses lean on one another, the state of the neighbouring buildings matters too: an engineer can tell you whether walls and floors have been strengthened and whether past works were properly authorised.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Castelmezzano's cadastral maps, and the report works from the address to the land parcel.
Key points
- Lucanian Dolomites village, linked to Pietrapertosa by the Volo dell'Angelo.
- Bars and restaurants: 9.94 per 1,000 residents.
- 704 residents, down 17.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.176 g.
Overview
Castelmezzano is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 704 residents, ranked 86 of 100 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelmezzano 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 0.176 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castelmezzano, 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 17.4%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelmezzano declared an average taxable income of 16,566 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castelmezzano is in climate zone E, with 2,273 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 750 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelmezzano has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 sports facilities.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 Castelmezzano, 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 Castelmezzano.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castelmezzano: 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 Castelmezzano 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 Castelmezzano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 24.2%
- good 75.8%
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 076024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.