Muro Lucano: 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 Muro Lucano
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 San Biagio 1, Muro Lucano.
Muro Lucano, terraced houses above the gorge
Seen from the opposite slope, Muro Lucano looks like a cascade of houses tumbling from the castle towards the bottom of a deep gorge. The town lies in the Marmo Platano area, in north-western Basilicata near the border with Campania, and is the largest place in this mountain district.
Potenza is less than an hour away by car and remains the point of reference for the hospital, public offices and many jobs. The old town is a web of steep lanes and stairways, with many houses empty or used only in summer by people who emigrated; newer building is on the less steep ground at the edges of the town. Buying in the centre means thinking about access on foot, getting materials in for building work and parking some way off.
The decline is steep: in 2023 there were 4,897 residents, 671 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 12.1%. The average age is 49.2 against 47.3 in the province of Potenza; people over 65 make up 28.9% and foreign residents only 2.8%. Average declared income is below the provincial figure.
Seismic hazard is the highest in the area. Muro Lucano is in zone 1, along with 39 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.256 g. The 1980 earthquake hit the town hard, and many buildings were rebuilt or strengthened in the years that followed: before buying, get the paperwork for that work and have a surveyor check the current condition.
The cliff and the slopes down to the gorge are prone to landslides and rockfalls, and roads and retaining walls should be looked at too. The report checks landslide and flood risk at the address and uses the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps published for the municipality.
Key points
- Terraced town above a gorge, in the Marmo Platano area.
- Population down 12.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, acceleration about 0.256 g.
- Cliff and slopes: check landslides and rockfalls.
Overview
Muro Lucano is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 4,897 residents, ranked 16 of 100 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Muro Lucano 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 Muro Lucano, 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 12.1%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 2.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Muro Lucano declared an average taxable income of 16,392 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Muro Lucano is in climate zone D, with 2,000 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 600 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Muro Lucano has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 2.6% of the land in Muro Lucano, 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 Muro Lucano. 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 Muro Lucano: 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 Muro Lucano 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 43 inhabited census areas in Muro Lucano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.7%
- fair 98.3%
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 076053. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.