Polignano a Mare: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Bari, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Polignano a Mare
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 Pompeo Sarnelli 1, Polignano a Mare.
Polignano a Mare, a clifftop town south of Bari
Polignano a Mare's old town is built right on the edge of a limestone cliff that drops straight into the Adriatic, some thirty kilometres south-east of Bari. White houses run up to the rim of the rock, the sea has carved caves beneath them, and in the middle of town the Lama Monachile gully runs down to a small pebble cove. The singer Domenico Modugno was born here and has a statue on the seafront.
Tourism has reshaped the housing market. The town has 228 cafés and restaurants, 13.06 per 1,000 residents against 5.00 across the province of Bari, and many homes in the old town have become holiday lets. Anyone looking for a year-round home will find more choice in the newer districts inland and out in the countryside, among olive groves and dry-stone walls. The station on the Adriatic railway line is handy for commuting to Bari.
In 2023 there were 17,463 residents according to Istat, the national statistics office, a figure that has barely moved: down 0.6% since 2011. Average age is 46.1, just above the provincial 45.8, while over-65s make up 23.4%, slightly below the provincial share. Foreign nationals account for 3.4% of residents. Declared incomes are lower than the average for the Bari area.
Earthquake hazard is low. Polignano is in seismic zone 4 on the scale used by the Civil Protection Department, like 6 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration in the town of about 0.055 g. On this coast the rock matters more. For a house near the cliff edge, ask whether the rock face has had collapses or reinforcement work, and bear in mind that salt air is hard on render, steel and window frames. The report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the exact address and finds the land parcel on the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- Old town on the cliffs, birthplace of Domenico Modugno.
- 228 cafés and restaurants: many old-town homes are holiday lets.
- 17,463 residents in 2023, down 0.6% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration about 0.055 g.
Overview
Polignano a Mare is a municipality in the province of Bari, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 17,463 residents, ranked 25 of 41 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Polignano a Mare is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Only 7 of 41 municipalities in the province are in zone 4.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.055 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Polignano a Mare declared an average taxable income of 19,430 euros, below the provincial average (21,788 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Polignano a Mare is in climate zone C, with 1,088 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 24 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Polignano a Mare has 11 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 1 green area.
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 15.0% of the land in Polignano a Mare, compared with 9.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Polignano a Mare is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is high. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Polignano a Mare.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Polignano a Mare: 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 Polignano a Mare 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 50 inhabited census areas in Polignano a Mare. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.8%
- fair 24.2%
- good 75.0%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 072035. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.