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Ruoti: 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 Ruoti

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 Appia 1, Ruoti.

Ruoti, hill village behind Potenza

Ruoti is a village in inland Basilicata, on the hills north west of Potenza, at around 750 metres. The land is fields, woods and scattered farmsteads, with the village gathered on a rise. For many residents the regional capital is the daily reference for work, offices and hospital, reached by car.

Buyers here usually want a detached house or a village house for less than Potenza prices, with a bit of outdoor space. Many buildings were rebuilt or repaired in past decades, others have stayed as they were, and only a surveyor's visit shows the difference. In the countryside, check access, utility connections and distance to services, which the report measures from the exact location of the property.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 3,236 residents (2023), down 8.6% since 2011. The average age is 46.3, a little below Potenza province (47.3), and 24.6% are over 65. Foreign residents are very few, at 1.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average, and climate zone E means cold winters, so budget for heating.

Earthquakes are the main issue. Ruoti is in seismic zone 2, as are 58 other municipalities in the province, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.210 g, a high value for this class. Before buying, find out when the building was put up, whether it has had structural work and whether that work is documented.

Key points

  • Hills north west of Potenza, at around 750 metres.
  • 3,236 residents, down 8.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.210 g.
  • Foreign residents 1.1%, average age 46.3.

Overview

Ruoti is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 3,236 residents, ranked 29 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ruoti is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2a. 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 0.210 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ruoti, 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 8.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 1.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ruoti declared an average taxable income of 17,019 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ruoti is in climate zone E, with 2,275 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 751 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ruoti has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

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 3.2% of the land in Ruoti, 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 Ruoti; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ruoti: 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 Ruoti 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 38 inhabited census areas in Ruoti. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 81.8%
  • good 18.2%

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 076071. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.