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Ginestra: 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 Ginestra

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 Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg 1, Ginestra.

Ginestra, an Arbëreshë community in the Vulture area

Ginestra is one of the Arbëreshë villages of Basilicata, founded by people of Albanian origin who settled in southern Italy centuries ago, a heritage the village still remembers in its traditions. It lies in the Vulture area, in the north of the province of Potenza, at around 580 metres, among hills and fields.

The village is small and has few services: for work, secondary schools and the hospital, people drive to the larger towns of the area. The report measures the distance from the exact location of the house to the pharmacy, school and shops, which here makes a real difference to daily life. Homes are mostly houses in the village centre, often on two levels, plus a few more recent houses on the edge of the village.

There were 671 residents in 2023, 9.4% fewer than the 741 of 2011. Ginestra is no older than its province: the estimated average age is 46.3 against 47.3, and over-65s are 25.6% against 25.7%. Foreign residents make up 3.9%. Average declared income is below the provincial level.

Earthquakes are not to be overlooked. In the province of Potenza, 40 municipalities are in seismic zone 1 and 59 in zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification; Ginestra is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the village of about 0.170 g. Before buying a masonry house, have its structure assessed and ask whether it was repaired or strengthened after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, which also struck Basilicata, and with what permits.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover Ginestra, and the report links the address to its land parcel. On the slopes, landslide hazard and gradient are read on the official maps for that address.

Key points

  • Arbëreshë community of Albanian origin in the Vulture area.
  • 671 residents, down 9.4% since 2011.
  • Average age 46.3, against 47.3 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.170 g.

Overview

Ginestra is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 671 residents, ranked 88 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ginestra 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 0.170 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ginestra, 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 9.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 3.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ginestra declared an average taxable income of 17,569 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ginestra is in climate zone D, with 1,956 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 576 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ginestra has 1 school 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 3.9% of the land in Ginestra, 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 Ginestra.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ginestra: 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 Ginestra 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 4 inhabited census areas in Ginestra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 3.5%
  • good 96.5%

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 076099. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.