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Forenza: 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 Forenza

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 Convento 1, Forenza.

Forenza, Alto Bradano hill town in northern Basilicata

Forenza is a village in northern Basilicata, in the area between Monte Vulture and the upper Bradano valley, built on a rise at around eight hundred metres. Around it stretches a landscape of hills under wheat, pasture and wide open spaces, with few scattered houses.

The old centre has stone and brick houses on climbing streets, surrounded by newer buildings. Potenza is the reference for offices, the hospital and work, reachable by car. The climate is zone E, with cold and sometimes snowy winters, so insulation and heating weigh on the cost of running a house. Average incomes are lower than in the province of Potenza.

The population is falling fast: Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,795 residents in 2023, 18.7% fewer than in 2011, or 414 people. The average age is 49.3 against 47.3 in the province, and over-65s make up 28.5%. Households are small, 2.05 members on average.

In Potenza province 40 municipalities are in seismic zone 1 and 59 in zone 2, including Forenza, where the expected acceleration in the built-up area is 0.142 g. Before buying a masonry house, ask for a structural survey and the paperwork for any repair or seismic upgrading work.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report starts from the address, finds the land parcel and reads elevation, slope and the official landslide and flood maps.

Key points

  • Hill village between Monte Vulture and the upper Bradano valley.
  • Population down 18.7% since 2011, over-65s at 28.5%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.142 g.
  • Cold winters: weigh up insulation and heating.

Overview

Forenza is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,795 residents, ranked 48 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Forenza is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2d. 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 0.142 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Forenza, 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 18.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 4.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Forenza declared an average taxable income of 15,138 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Forenza is in climate zone E, with 2,275 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 836 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Forenza has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

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 2.5% of the land in Forenza, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 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 Forenza.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Forenza: 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 Forenza 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 25 inhabited census areas in Forenza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 18.5%
  • good 81.5%

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 076033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.