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Cetara: 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 Cetara

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: Corso Francesco Federici 1, Cetara.

Cetara, the fishing village of the Amalfi Coast

Coming from Salerno, Cetara is one of the first villages on the Amalfi Coast, just after Vietri sul Mare: a fishing village squeezed into a ravine running down to the sea, with houses stacked one above the other and a beach below the old watchtower. Its fleet is known for tuna and anchovy fishing, and colatura di alici, the anchovy sauce made in Cetara, is sold well beyond Campania. Salerno is about twenty minutes away along the winding coast road.

Buying here means accepting the rules of the Amalfi Coast: old buildings, often small and on several levels, access on foot or by steps, little parking and strict landscape protection, since the area is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before making an offer, have a surveyor check that terraces, verandas and extensions match the planning and land registry records, which always needs checking. If you are thinking of holiday lets, look into the municipal and regional rules first.

At the end of 2023 there were 1,941 residents, down 15.7% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The population is older: average age 49.2 against 45.2 in the province of Salerno, over-65s at 29.8% against 22.7%. Foreign residents are 1.8%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

The village is in seismic zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.098 g. On the Amalfi slopes it is also worth checking the state of retaining walls and terraces, and the report shows the official landslide and flood maps for the specific address.

Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Fishing village at the start of the Amalfi Coast.
  • Landscape rules: check terraces and verandas are legal.
  • Average age 49.2, above the provincial figure.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.098 g.

Overview

Cetara is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 1,941 residents, ranked 87 of 158 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cetara 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 0.098 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 15.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (45). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 1.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cetara declared an average taxable income of 21,225 euros, above the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cetara is in climate zone C, with 999 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 10 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cetara has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 0.5 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 3.5% of the land in Cetara, 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

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Cetara.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cetara: 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 Cetara 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 Cetara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 61.4%
  • good 38.6%

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 065041. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.