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Policoro: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Policoro

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 Siris 1, Policoro.

Policoro, the young town on the Ionian plain between Agri and Sinni

Policoro is a recent town on the Ionian coast of Basilicata, in the Metapontino plain between the mouths of the Agri and Sinni rivers. Until the mid twentieth century this plain was thinly settled, malarial and split into large estates; land drainage and agrarian reform divided it into smallholdings, and the town grew fast around the old baronial castle. Beneath the modern town lay the Greek colony of Herakleia, whose finds are on display in the National Museum of the Siritide.

The economy rests on intensive farming, with strawberries, citrus fruit and vegetables, and on summer beach tourism. The town is flat, with a centre of low blocks and regular streets, and an area towards the sea full of villas, holiday complexes and second homes. The SS106 Ionian coast road and the coastal railway, with Policoro-Tursi station, link it to Taranto and to Calabria.

Here the population is growing, which is rare in the inland south. In 2023 there were 17,738 residents, 11.0% more than in 2011, an increase of 1,762. It is a young town: estimated average age 43.9 against 46.3 for the province of Matera, over-65s at 20.2% against 24.8%. Foreign residents, 9.9%, largely work on the farms. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average.

Under the zones set by Italy's Civil Protection Department, the province has 17 municipalities in zone 2 and 14 in zone 3, Policoro included. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.083 g, a moderate value. Many homes were built quickly during the boom years, so asking for the structural design and the certificate of habitability (agibilità) is still good practice.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report locates the plot from the address. On a low plain between two rivers, and near a coast where the sea has eaten into parts of the beach, flooding and storm surges are the issues to check for the individual address.

Key points

  • A land-reclamation town on the Ionian coast, above ancient Herakleia.
  • Population up 11.0% since 2011; average age 43.9.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.083 g.
  • Plain between Agri and Sinni: flooding checked by address.

Overview

Policoro is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 17,738 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Policoro 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 0.083 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 grown by 11.0%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 9.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Policoro declared an average taxable income of 19,765 euros, in line with the province (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Policoro is in climate zone C, with 1,137 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 25 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Policoro has 13 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 16 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 pharmacies 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 8.7% of the land in Policoro, compared with 2.7% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Policoro. 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 Policoro: 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 Policoro 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 68 inhabited census areas in Policoro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 12.1%
  • good 43.6%
  • very good 38.3%
  • excellent 6.0%

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

ISTAT code 077021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.