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Rapone: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Rapone

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 Umberto Primo 1, Rapone.

Rapone, a mountain village in north-western Basilicata

Above 800 metres, in the uplands of north-western Basilicata that run towards the border with Campania, Rapone is a true mountain village; the climate zone is E, with cold winters, and the village is surrounded by woods, pasture and fields. For hospital, secondary schools and work, residents travel to the larger towns of the province of Potenza.

The population has fallen sharply. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 841 residents at the end of 2023, 172 fewer than in 2011, or 17.0%. The average age is 50.7, against 47.3 for the province, and over-65s are 30.0%. Households average 2.06 people and declared income is below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the main issue for buyers. Rapone is in seismic zone 1 of the Civil Protection classification, like 39 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.235 g, a high value. Many buildings in the area were repaired or rebuilt after the 1980 earthquake: find out when and how a house was rebuilt, ask for the plans and the structural sign-off, and if in doubt have an engineer look at it before making an offer.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published and the report starts from the address to reach the land parcel. In the mountains, slope and the landslide areas on the official maps also need reading for the exact plot, as they vary a lot from one street to the next.

Key points

  • Basilicata uplands, above 800 metres, towards Campania.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.235 g.
  • Population down 17.0% since 2011.
  • Rebuilt houses: ask for plans and structural sign-off.

Overview

Rapone is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 841 residents, ranked 79 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rapone is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 1b. Only 40 of 100 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.235 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Rapone, 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 17.0%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 0.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rapone declared an average taxable income of 17,609 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Rapone is in climate zone E, with 2,433 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 838 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rapone has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 per 1,000 residents.

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 4.3% of the land in Rapone, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% 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 no open contaminated sites in Rapone; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Rapone: 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 Rapone 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 12 inhabited census areas in Rapone. 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 076065. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.