San Giorgio Lucano: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Matera, Basilicata. 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: Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1, San Giorgio Lucano.
San Giorgio Lucano, hill country between the Pollino and the Ionian
San Giorgio Lucano is a hill village in the southern part of the province of Matera, where the valleys climb from the Ionian coast towards the Pollino mountains. The centre stands at around 400 metres, with houses gathered on the slope, surrounded by olive groves, wheat fields and scrub. It is a quiet farming place: jobs, secondary schools and hospitals are found elsewhere, in the larger towns of the area or on the coast.
If you are thinking of buying, expect mostly village houses, often old and on several levels. Many need work on the roof, the systems and the damp in walls built against the hillside. Climate zone D means milder winters than in the mountains, but an uninsulated stone house still gets cold. If you work elsewhere a car is essential, and it is worth trying the journey before you decide.
The population has fallen sharply: 1,010 residents in 2023, 21.7% fewer than the 1,290 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 52.8, against 46.3 for the province, and over-65s make up 36.3%, compared with 24.8% across the province. Foreign residents are 4.4%. Declared incomes are also below the provincial average.
For earthquakes the municipality is in zone 3, like 14 of the 31 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.117 g. In an old house what matters most is how walls and floors are tied together, which a surveyor or engineer can assess on site.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover San Giorgio Lucano, so the report goes from the address to the plot. On sloping land like these hills, it is worth checking the official landslide maps there, spot by spot.
Key points
- Hill farming village in the south of the province of Matera.
- Residents down 21.7% since 2011, average age 52.8.
- Over-65s at 36.3%, against 24.8% in the province.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.117 g.
Overview
San Giorgio Lucano is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,010 residents, ranked 24 of 31 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Giorgio Lucano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3a. Only 14 of 31 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.117 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 21.7%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (46). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Giorgio Lucano declared an average taxable income of 17,207 euros, below the provincial average (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Giorgio Lucano is in climate zone D, with 1,691 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 416 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Giorgio Lucano has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 1.9% of the land in San Giorgio Lucano, compared with 2.7% 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 contaminated sites in San Giorgio Lucano.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Giorgio Lucano: 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 San Giorgio Lucano 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 8 inhabited census areas in San Giorgio Lucano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 5.4%
- good 94.6%
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 077025. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.