Marsicovetere: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Potenza, Basilicata. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Marsicovetere
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 Provinciale 1, Marsicovetere.
Marsicovetere, the hilltop village and Villa d'Agri below
The municipality has two faces, with a steep climb between them. Up high, at over a thousand metres, is Marsicovetere itself, the old village of stone houses packed along a ridge. Down on the plain of the river Agri is Villa d'Agri, the valley-floor district that is now the most populated part of the municipality, with the shops, offices and the hospital that serves the whole valley.
The Val d'Agri, south of Potenza, is Basilicata's oil country: Eni's processing centre is in neighbouring Viggiano. In a province where many villages are losing people, Marsicovetere has gained them. In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,668 residents, up 6.1% on 2011, with an estimated average age of 42.9 against 47.3 for the province. Over-65s make up 19.9%, well below the provincial 25.7%, and foreign nationals 4.4%. Declared incomes are also above the average for the province of Potenza.
Buyers are really choosing between two ways of life. The upper village has long winters, snow and uphill streets, and the municipality is in climate zone E, so heating is a real cost and older houses often need work. In Villa d'Agri the ground is flat and buildings are newer, but for a house near the river or the streams coming down the slopes it is worth checking the flood maps for the exact address.
Earthquakes are the most serious issue. Marsicovetere is in seismic zone 1 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, the most hazardous, along with 39 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.256 g, a high value. The valley has been hit by strong earthquakes before. For any purchase, ask for the year of construction, the structural design and any seismic upgrading carried out; for a stone house in the old village, a survey by an engineer or surveyor before completion is money well spent.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for both the village and Villa d'Agri, and the report works from the address to the land parcel the building stands on.
Key points
- Old village above a thousand metres, Villa d'Agri on the Agri plain.
- Population up 6.1% since 2011, average age 42.9.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.256 g.
- Incomes above the average for the province of Potenza.
Overview
Marsicovetere is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 5,668 residents, ranked 12 of 100 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Marsicovetere 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 1a. 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 0.256 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Marsicovetere, 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 grown by 6.1%. The estimated average age is 43 years, lower than the province average (47). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Marsicovetere declared an average taxable income of 23,027 euros, above the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Marsicovetere is in climate zone E, with 2,801 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 1,037 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Marsicovetere has 6 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 1.6 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 6.5% of the land in Marsicovetere, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Marsicovetere.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Marsicovetere: 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 Marsicovetere 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 33 inhabited census areas in Marsicovetere. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 076046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.