San Mauro Forte: 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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Search for an address in San Mauro Forte
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 Armando Diaz 1, San Mauro Forte.
San Mauro Forte, home of the Campanaccio in the Matera hills
Every January, around the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot, San Mauro Forte fills with the sound of cowbells: the Campanaccio is the village's best-known festival and draws visitors from beyond the region. For the rest of the year it is a farming village in the inland hills of the province of Matera, west of Ferrandina, among wheat fields, olive groves and eroded clay badlands. Matera and the Basento valley are where people go for work and services.
The population loss has been heavy. Since 2011 the village has lost 27.9% of its residents, falling to 1,233 in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.5 against 46.3 in the province, and over-65s make up 29.6% (24.8% across the Matera area). Foreign nationals account for 4.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Buyers will mostly find masonry houses in the centre, on several levels and often in need of updating, plus a few country houses. Before making an offer, have a surveyor look at the roof, stairs and services, and check that changes made over the years are recorded in the land registry.
San Mauro Forte is in seismic zone 2, like 16 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.148 g. For an older building, ask whether structural work has been carried out and whether the paperwork exists.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality, so the report reaches the land parcel from the address. On the clay hills around Matera slopes can be unstable, and the report reads the official landslide maps for the position of the house.
Key points
- Farming village in the inland Matera hills, west of Ferrandina.
- Population down 27.9% since 2011, now 1,233.
- Over-65s at 29.6%, against 24.8% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.148 g.
Overview
San Mauro Forte is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,233 residents, ranked 22 of 31 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Mauro Forte is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2d. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 31) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.148 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Mauro Forte, 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 27.9%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (46). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Mauro Forte declared an average taxable income of 14,708 euros, below the provincial average (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Mauro Forte is in climate zone D, with 1,874 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 540 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Mauro Forte has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 sports facility.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 1.5% of the land in San Mauro Forte, 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 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 San Mauro Forte. 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 San Mauro Forte: 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 Mauro Forte 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 23 inhabited census areas in San Mauro Forte. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 4.4%
- good 95.6%
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 077026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.