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Lavello: 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 Lavello

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: Corso Giustino Fortunato 1, Lavello.

Lavello, between Vulture, the Ofanto and Puglia

Lavello lies in the north of Basilicata, on the border with Puglia, in the Vulture and Alto Bradano area. The town sits on a rise above hills planted with wheat, olives and Aglianico vines, while to the north runs the Ofanto river, which marks the way into the Puglia plain. It is one of the most populous municipalities in the province of Potenza.

For many residents work means the San Nicola di Melfi industrial area, with its car plant and suppliers, or farming. Property prices are low by Italian standards: houses in the old centre, often needing work, blocks of flats built from the 1970s onwards and rural houses scattered across the countryside.

There are 12,922 residents (2023), down 4.9% since 2011, as in much of Basilicata. Even so, the population is younger than the provincial average, with a mean age of 44.9 against 47.3 and 22.2% over 65. Foreign residents make up 7.3%, many of them farm workers. Average incomes are below the provincial figure.

The province of Potenza is highly seismic: 40 municipalities are in zone 1, the highest. Lavello is in zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.193 g, a high value. Buyers should find out how the building came through the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and whether it was repaired with public grants, asking the town hall for the paperwork.

On the town's steep edges and the clay slopes of the hills, landslide hazard is what matters; in the Ofanto valley, it is flooding. The report checks both for the address, using the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Northern Basilicata, between Vulture, the Ofanto and Puglia.
  • Population down 4.9% since 2011, average age 44.9.
  • Seismic zone 2 with high acceleration, about 0.193 g.
  • Jobs at San Nicola di Melfi and on farms; low prices.

Overview

Lavello is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 12,922 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lavello is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2b. 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 0.193 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Lavello, 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 4.9%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (47). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lavello declared an average taxable income of 17,932 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Lavello is in climate zone D, with 1,501 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 313 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Lavello has 11 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 9 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.3).

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 4.1% of the land in Lavello, 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Lavello. 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 Lavello: 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 Lavello 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 61 inhabited census areas in Lavello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 6.0%
  • good 28.0%
  • very good 65.9%

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 076043. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.