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Lauria: 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 Lauria

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 Carlo Alberto 1, Lauria.

Lauria, two hillside quarters on the road to Calabria

Lauria is the largest town in the Lagonegrese, the south-western corner of Basilicata that borders Calabria. It stretches along a mountainside above the valley of the river Noce, with the Sirino massif to the north and the coast at Maratea not far to the west. It has two distinct historic cores: the Rione Superiore, around the remains of the castle, and the Rione Inferiore lower down, linked by steep streets and flights of steps.

For newcomers the first advantage is the road. The A2 motorway between Salerno and Reggio Calabria has two exits within the municipality, and that has made Lauria the place where surrounding villages come for schools, shops and offices. The data show it: 1.61 school sites and 1.19 supermarkets per 1,000 residents, both above the provincial rate. In the old quarters, houses are built of stone against the slope and often reached only on foot; newer buildings sit on lower ground and along the connecting roads.

The population is shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 11,771 residents in 2023, 1,491 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 11.2%. The estimated average age is 47.8, over-65s account for 26.0% and foreign residents only 2.4%. Declared incomes are slightly above the average for the province of Potenza.

This is one of the places where earthquake risk matters most. Lauria is in seismic zone 1, the highest class in the Civil Protection Department's scale, along with 39 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.250 g. Before buying a stone house in the old quarters, or a concrete block from the 1960s or 1970s, have a surveyor check the structure and ask what upgrading work has been carried out.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report finds the plot from the address. On such a steep mountainside, slope and landslide hazard change from one street to the next, and the report measures them at the exact location of the house.

Key points

  • Two historic quarters on the hillside above the Noce valley.
  • Two exits on the A2 Salerno to Reggio Calabria motorway.
  • Population down 11.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.250 g.

Overview

Lauria is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 11,771 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 100).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lauria is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 1b. Only 40 of 100 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.250 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Lauria, 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 11.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 2.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lauria declared an average taxable income of 21,096 euros, in line with the province (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Lauria is in climate zone D, with 1,691 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 430 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Lauria has 19 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 5 sports facilities.

There are 1.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 4.4% of the land in Lauria, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Lauria. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Lauria: 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 Lauria 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 138 inhabited census areas in Lauria. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 11.1%
  • fair 88.9%

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 076042. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.