Potenza Picena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Macerata, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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: Viale Regina Margherita 2, Potenza Picena.
Potenza Picena, a hill town with a seaside hamlet
The municipality has two sides a few kilometres apart. Up the hill is Potenza Picena, the historic town at just over two hundred metres, with views reaching the sea; down below is Porto Potenza Picena, the coastal hamlet on the Adriatic along the main road and the railway, between Porto Recanati and Civitanova Marche. In between lie farmed hills and scattered houses.
For buyers these are two different markets. On the coast there are flats and holiday homes, the beach and the railway station, with Civitanova close by for shops and services; the hill town is quieter, with older houses, sloping streets and a closer-knit community. In the countryside there are farmhouses in need of restoration. Macerata, the provincial capital, is reached by car inland.
In 2023 there were 15,470 residents, down 2.4% since 2011; among the 55 municipalities of the province of Macerata, Potenza Picena ranks 5 by population. The average age is 46.9, close to the provincial figure (47.2), and foreign nationals make up 8.0%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
The earthquakes of 2016 and 2017 hit the Macerata hinterland hard, and seismic risk counts on the coast too. Potenza Picena is in zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.182 g; in the province, 6 municipalities are in zone 1. Before buying, ask whether the building was damaged in those years, whether inspection reports or reconstruction files exist, and what work has been done.
The hills are made of clay soils, so slope stability needs checking; on the coast the concerns are the streams running down to the sea and beach erosion. The report checks landslide and flood hazard for the address and uses the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), which are published for the municipality.
Key points
- Historic hill town plus Porto Potenza Picena on the coast.
- Population down 2.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.182 g.
- Ask about 2016 earthquake damage and paperwork.
Overview
Potenza Picena is a municipality in the province of Macerata, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 15,470 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 55).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Potenza Picena is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (49 of 55) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.182 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Potenza Picena, 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 2.4%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 8.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Potenza Picena declared an average taxable income of 21,822 euros, below the provincial average (23,312 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Potenza Picena is in climate zone D, with 1,917 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 237 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Potenza Picena has 7 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 16 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.0).
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 10.7% of the land in Potenza Picena, compared with 5.7% in the province and 7.0% 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Potenza Picena, 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 Potenza Picena: 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 Potenza Picena 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 77 inhabited census areas in Potenza Picena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 9.6%
- fair 68.3%
- good 22.1%
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 043043. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.