Pisticci: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Matera, Basilicata. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Pisticci
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 Metaponto 1, Pisticci.
Pisticci, the Dirupo, Marconia and the Ionian coast
Pisticci has one of the largest municipal areas in Basilicata, stretching from the clay hills between the rivers Basento and Cavone all the way to the Ionian Sea. The old town sits high on a ridge, and its most recognisable quarter is the Dirupo, rows of low, almost identical white houses built after a great landslide centuries ago.
Below the old town, the municipality splits into very different places. Marconia is a village founded on the plain in the twentieth century and now one of the most populated parts of the municipality; Pisticci Scalo grew around the station and the Val Basento industrial area; on the coast, Marina di Pisticci has holiday homes. Buyers must choose between hill-town life, the farming plain and the seaside, three markets with different prices and different issues. Average declared incomes are below the province of Matera.
Landslides are the main issue. Around the town, the calanchi, clay hills furrowed by rainwater, show how fragile the ground is. For a house in the old centre or on the slopes, ask whether the building has cracks and whether it has been underpinned, and check the official landslide maps for the address in the report. On the plain towards the sea, the report instead checks river flood zones.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 16,864 residents in 2023, down 2.9% since 2011. The average age (46.2) and the share of over-65s (24.4%) are in line with the province, and foreign nationals are 7.1% of residents. Pisticci is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.094 g; in the province, 17 municipalities are in zone 2. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published and the report traces the land parcel.
Key points
- From the Dirupo ridge to the Ionian coast, via Marconia and the Scalo.
- Clay badlands and slopes: check landslide hazard by address.
- 16,864 residents, down 2.9% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.094 g.
Overview
Pisticci is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 16,864 residents, the third most populous in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pisticci is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3b. Only 14 of 31 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.094 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 2.9%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 7.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pisticci declared an average taxable income of 18,842 euros, below the provincial average (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Pisticci is in climate zone D, with 1,615 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 364 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pisticci has 13 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).
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 3.3% of the land in Pisticci, compared with 2.7% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.2 hectares.
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 12 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pisticci, and 26 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 Pisticci: 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 Pisticci 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 121 inhabited census areas in Pisticci. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 85 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 13.0%
- good 28.2%
- very good 58.6%
- excellent 0.0%
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 077020. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.