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Meta: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Meta

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 Caracciolo 1, Meta.

Meta, a tuff cliff town on the Sorrento peninsula

Meta is the first municipality of the Sorrento plain as you come from Vico Equense, on the stretch of coast between Vico and Piano di Sorrento. The centre sits on a terrace of tuff, a soft volcanic rock, that drops sheer to the sea, with small beaches at the foot of the cliff such as Alimuri. The town has a long seafaring tradition of captains and shipowners, and the basilica of the Madonna del Lauro is its best-known building.

The Circumvesuviana railway stops at Meta on the Naples to Sorrento line: for anyone working in Castellammare or Naples it is the main link, because the coast road clogs up easily, especially in summer. The market is made up of flats in the centre, often in old buildings with no lift, villas with citrus groves towards the hills, and homes turned into tourist lets.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,781 residents, down 2.4% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. Meta is older than the metropolitan average: 45.1 against 43.2, with over-65s at 21.8% against 20.0%. Foreign residents are 3.4%. Average declared incomes are higher than in the province.

Earthquake hazard here is lower than in the rest of the province. On the scale kept by the Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile), Meta is in zone 3 with 15 other municipalities, while 76 are in zone 2; expected ground acceleration in the centre is about 0.099 g. In an old building, what matters most is the state of the walls and floors, often altered over the centuries with new openings and added storeys.

The tuff cliff above the sea can collapse, and the roads down to the beaches are steep. For homes near the edge, look closely at landslide hazard, which the report reads for the address from the official maps. Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published for Meta.

Key points

  • Tuff terrace above the sea, between Vico Equense and Piano di Sorrento.
  • Circumvesuviana station on the Naples to Sorrento line.
  • Over-65s at 21.8%, above the area's 20.0%.
  • Seismic zone 3; homes near the cliff edge need a landslide check.

Overview

Meta is a municipality in the province of Napoli, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 7,781 residents, ranked 70 of 92 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Meta is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 16 of 92 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.099 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 2.4%. The estimated average age is 45 years, higher than the province average (43). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Meta declared an average taxable income of 23,635 euros, above the provincial average (21,545 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Meta is in climate zone C, with 1,146 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 111 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Meta has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.

There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 38.6% of the land in Meta, compared with 34.9% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Meta.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Meta: 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 Meta 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 22 inhabited census areas in Meta. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 44.6%
  • good 55.4%

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 063046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.