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Centola: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Centola

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 Sant'Agata Nord 1, Centola.

Centola, Palinuro and the southern Cilento coast

Centola is the municipality that includes Palinuro. The main village sits on an inland hill, but the best-known part of the territory is the coast: the town and harbour of Palinuro, the cape with its sea caves, and the Arco Naturale rock arch towards the mouth of the river Mingardo. The whole municipality lies within the Cilento National Park, on the southern stretch of the Campania coast.

The housing market has two sides. Palinuro is mostly holiday homes and tourist accommodation, with prices and rents driven by the summer; in the hill villages, such as Centola, Foria and San Nicola, there are village houses lived in all year or left empty by people who moved away. Inland stands San Severino, the abandoned medieval village above the Mingardo valley. In winter services shrink and the hospital and public offices are a long drive away, which matters if you plan to live here year-round.

There were 4,961 residents in 2023, down 2.2% on 2011. The average age is 47.7 against 45.2 in the province of Salerno, and people over 65 make up 26.4%. Foreign residents account for 5.3%. Average declared income is well below the provincial figure, as is common in places that live on seasonal tourism.

Compared with much of the province, where 97 municipalities are in zone 2, Centola has a lower seismic hazard: it is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.090 g. For houses built during the tourist boom, check planning compliance as well as the structure, all the more so inside a national park.

The high coast and cliffs of Palinuro are prone to rockfalls and the inland slopes can slide, while on the plain at the mouth of the Mingardo river floods are the issue. The report checks landslide and flood risk at the address and uses the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Includes Palinuro, inside the Cilento National Park.
  • 4,961 residents, down 2.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, acceleration about 0.090 g.
  • Cliffs and the Mingardo mouth: check landslides and floods.

Overview

Centola is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 4,961 residents, ranked 47 of 158 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Centola 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 0.090 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 fallen by 2.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 5.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Centola declared an average taxable income of 15,304 euros, below the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Centola is in climate zone D, with 1,464 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 336 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Centola has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.4 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 7.2% of the land in Centola, compared with 8.0% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Centola. 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 Centola: 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 Centola 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 64 inhabited census areas in Centola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 8.0%
  • fair 71.5%
  • good 20.6%

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 065039. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.