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Polla: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Polla

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 Annia 0, Polla.

Polla, the northern gateway to the Vallo di Diano

Coming from the north on the A2 motorway, you enter the Vallo di Diano at Polla, which has its own junction. The old town climbs the mountainside, while the newer part spreads out towards the plain crossed by the Tanagro, the river that leaves the valley just to the north through the gorges towards Pertosa and its show caves. Polla is home to the hospital that serves much of the Vallo.

For buyers, the two halves of the town are very different. Up the hill there are alleys, steps and stone houses built against one another, often with little parking. Down below are small blocks of flats and detached houses, easier to live in but closer to the river and the drainage channels of the plain. The floor of the Vallo di Diano was marshland for a long time before it was drained.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 5,098 residents in 2023, down 4.3% on 2011. The average age is 45.5, against 45.2 in the province of Salerno; over-65s make up 24.4% against 22.7% provincially. Foreign residents account for 7.7%.

Earthquakes come first. The Civil Protection Department places Polla in seismic zone 1, one of 18 municipalities in the province of Salerno in this zone, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.218 g. The Vallo di Diano has been hit by destructive earthquakes, and many houses in the old town have been repaired or strengthened over time: before buying, ask for the plans of that work, the sign-off certificates and any grant paperwork.

Flood hazard on the plain and landslide hazard on the slopes vary from one street to the next, and the report checks both by address. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps, so the report reaches the land parcel.

Key points

  • A2 junction at the northern entrance to the Vallo di Diano.
  • Stone-built upper town, newer district on the Tanagro plain.
  • 5,098 residents, down 4.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.218 g.

Overview

Polla is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 5,098 residents, ranked 46 of 158 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Polla is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 18 of 158 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.218 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Polla, 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 4.3%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 7.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Polla declared an average taxable income of 19,009 euros, in line with the province (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Polla is in climate zone D, with 1,610 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 468 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Polla has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets and 4 healthcare facilities.

There are 1.6 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.2).

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 8.8% of the land in Polla, compared with 8.0% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Polla, and one more has 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 Polla: 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 Polla 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 37 inhabited census areas in Polla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 065097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.