Rionero in Vulture: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Potenza, Basilicata. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Rionero in Vulture
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 Umberto Primo 1, Rionero in Vulture.
Rionero in Vulture, at the foot of an extinct volcano
Monte Vulture, a volcano extinct for a very long time, dominates the landscape of northern Basilicata, and Rionero lies on its slopes at around six hundred and fifty metres. Around the town are Aglianico vineyards, chestnut groves and woods rising towards the Monticchio lakes, and the Vulture mineral waters are bottled in the area. Wine, water and farming remain an important part of the economy.
Rionero was the birthplace of Giustino Fortunato, the politician and scholar of southern Italy's development problems, and of the brigand Carmine Crocco. Today it is one of the service towns of the area, with schools and offices used by neighbouring villages too. Melfi, with its large industrial zone, is close by, and Potenza, the regional capital, is less than an hour's drive.
Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 12,446 residents in 2023, 7.4% fewer than in 2011, a loss of 998 people. The population is still slightly younger than the province of Potenza, with an average age of 46.2 against 47.3 and over-65s at 23.2% against 25.7%. Foreign nationals make up 6.0%, and declared incomes are just above the provincial average.
The Vulture area has seen destructive earthquakes, and the province of Potenza is one of the most seismic in Italy: 40 municipalities are in zone 1, the highest in the Civil Protection classification. Rionero is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.174 g. For stone houses in the centre, and for those repaired or rebuilt after the 1980 earthquake, ask for the records of the work and have the structure checked by a surveyor.
Winters are cold, in climate zone E, so the energy rating shows in the bills. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here and the report finds the land parcel from the address, also checking the slope of the ground and landslide hazard on the hillsides.
Key points
- On the slopes of Monte Vulture, among Aglianico vineyards and woods.
- Residents down 7.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2; 40 municipalities in the province in zone 1.
- Homes repaired after 1980: ask for the records of the work.
Overview
Rionero in Vulture is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 12,446 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 100).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rionero in Vulture is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2b. Most municipalities in the province (59 of 100) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.174 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Rionero in Vulture, 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 7.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 6.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rionero in Vulture declared an average taxable income of 20,893 euros, in line with the province (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Rionero in Vulture is in climate zone E, with 2,144 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 656 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rionero in Vulture has 14 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.8 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 6.6% of the land in Rionero in Vulture, 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 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 Rionero in Vulture. 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 Rionero in Vulture: 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 Rionero in Vulture 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 46 inhabited census areas in Rionero in Vulture. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 38.1%
- good 48.4%
- very good 13.5%
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 076066. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.