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Chiaromonte: 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 Chiaromonte

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 Pietrapica 1, Chiaromonte.

Chiaromonte, a hilltop village above the Sinni valley

Chiaromonte is a village in southern Basilicata, built on a hill overlooking the Sinni valley, close to the Pollino area. The historic centre is compact, with stone houses pressed together and steep lanes; newer buildings have spread along the roads that run down from the hill.

People buy here mainly to return to a family village, for a holiday home or to live somewhere quiet at modest cost. Potenza is far away, and for many services residents look to the towns in the valley and to the Ionian coast. In a building in the old centre, budget for work on roofs, wiring, plumbing and damp, and expect limited car access.

The population has been falling for years: 1,722 residents in 2023, 11.9% fewer than in 2011, or 232 people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.9 against 47.3 in the province, over-65s are 30.5% and foreign residents 1.9%.

Almost all of the province of Potenza has high seismic hazard: 40 municipalities are in zone 1 and 59 in zone 2. Chiaromonte is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.163 g. For a stone house, ask whether structural work has been carried out and see the paperwork.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available and the report traces the address back to the land parcel. On a hilltop village ground conditions change from one side to the other, so landslides and slope are checked for the individual plot.

Key points

  • Hilltop village above the Sinni valley, near the Pollino.
  • Residents down 11.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.163 g.
  • Stone houses in the old centre: check roofs, services and damp.

Overview

Chiaromonte is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,722 residents, ranked 50 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Chiaromonte is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2c. 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 0.163 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Chiaromonte, 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 11.9%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 1.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Chiaromonte declared an average taxable income of 18,449 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Chiaromonte is in climate zone E, with 2,226 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 794 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Chiaromonte has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 2 healthcare facilities.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 Chiaromonte, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.7 hectares.

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 Chiaromonte.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Chiaromonte: 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 Chiaromonte 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 23 inhabited census areas in Chiaromonte. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 64.1%
  • good 35.9%

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 076028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.