San Paolo Albanese: 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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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 Morea 1, San Paolo Albanese.
San Paolo Albanese, an Arbëreshë village in the Pollino park
In the valley of the Sarmento stream, inside the Pollino National Park, San Paolo Albanese is one of Basilicata's Arbëreshë villages, home to descendants of Albanian refugees who arrived centuries ago and kept their language and traditions. The centre stands at around eight hundred metres, on a slope overlooking the valley, among woods, pastures and fields.
The population is very old. Over-65s make up 45.6% of residents, against 25.4% across Basilicata, and the estimated average age is 57.9, against 47.3 in the province of Potenza. Households are small, with 1.41 members on average. Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 215 residents in 2023, against 306 in 2011, a fall of 29.7%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
For a buyer, the key issue is remoteness. Schools, shops and health services are in the towns of the Sinni valley or further away, and the roads are mountain roads. A house here can make sense as a second home or for someone working remotely, but think carefully about the distance to hospital, which the report measures from the address. Village houses are old masonry buildings: check the roof, damp and systems before anything else.
In the province of Potenza, 40 municipalities are in seismic zone 1 and 59 in zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department's scale. San Paolo Albanese is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.139 g in the built-up area, so before signing ask whether the building has had documented structural work. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report also checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address.
Key points
- Arbëreshë village in the Sarmento valley, Pollino National Park.
- Over-65s at 45.6%, against 25.4% in Basilicata.
- 215 residents in 2023, down 29.7% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.139 g.
Overview
San Paolo Albanese is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 215 residents, among the smallest in the province (100 of 100).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Paolo Albanese 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 (59 of 100) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.139 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Paolo Albanese, 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 29.7%. The estimated average age is 58 years, higher than the province average (47). 46% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Paolo Albanese declared an average taxable income of 18,426 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Paolo Albanese is in climate zone E, with 2,364 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 800 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Paolo Albanese has 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.3 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 1.7% of the land in San Paolo Albanese, 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 contaminated sites in San Paolo Albanese.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Paolo Albanese: 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 Paolo Albanese 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 7 inhabited census areas in San Paolo Albanese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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
- 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 076020. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.