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Grottole: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Grottole

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 Nazionale 1, Grottole.

Grottole, a hill village between the Basento and the Bradano

Grottole stands on a hill in the countryside of Matera province, between the Basento and Bradano valleys, with its castle above the old centre and wheat fields and olive groves all around. Matera, the provincial capital, is the reference for hospital care, offices and secondary schools, reached by car along the hill roads.

The old centre is made up of stone houses packed against one another, often on several levels with steep stairs; newer homes and apartment blocks sit on the edges. Many houses in the centre are old and need work, so before making an offer get a surveyor to estimate the cost of the roof, floors and services. On the clay hills the report measures the slope of the plot and reads the official landslide maps for the address.

According to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, there were 1,985 residents at the end of 2023, 16.3% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 47.5, against 46.3 for the province, and 27.1% of residents are over 65, above the provincial 24.8%. Foreign residents make up 3.1%. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Matera. The climate zone is D.

Grottole is in seismic zone 2, like 16 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.164 g. For a masonry building in the old centre, ask whether it has been strengthened and whether the work is documented.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report goes from the address to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Hill village with a castle, between the Basento and Bradano.
  • Population down 16.3% since 2011.
  • Stone houses in the centre: estimate the work first.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.164 g.

Overview

Grottole is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,985 residents, ranked 19 of 31 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Grottole 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 (17 of 31) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.164 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Grottole, 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 16.3%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 3.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Grottole declared an average taxable income of 16,940 euros, below the provincial average (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Grottole is in climate zone D, with 1,787 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 481 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 1.7% of the land in Grottole, compared with 2.7% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Grottole; 4 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Grottole: 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 Grottole 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 13 inhabited census areas in Grottole. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 18.2%
  • good 81.8%

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 077012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.