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San Severino Lucano: 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 San Severino Lucano

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: Frazione Mezzana Salice 1, San Severino Lucano.

San Severino Lucano, on the Basilicata side of the Pollino

This is a mountain village inside the Pollino National Park, on the Basilicata side, with its centre at around 800 metres and hamlets scattered among woods and ravines. San Severino Lucano lives on farming, grazing and mountain tourism, with hikers heading up to the park's peaks in summer.

For a buyer, the first issue is life at altitude. The village is in climate zone E, winters are cold and the roads to larger towns with fuller services are long and winding. Houses in the centre are often stone-built on the slope and need attention to roofs, damp and heating and electrics. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Potenza.

The population has shrunk. There were 1,373 residents in 2023, 17.6% fewer than in 2011, with an average age of 51.3 (province: 47.3) and 32.5% over 65.

San Severino Lucano is in seismic zone 1, the highest band, together with 39 other municipalities in the province; the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.227 g. Before buying an old house, have a surveyor look at the load-bearing walls, floors and the ties between walls, and ask whether any strengthening work has been done.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps cover the municipality. Slopes, landslides and streams vary from one hamlet to the next, so the report reads them at the address rather than as an average for the village.

Key points

  • Mountain village inside the Pollino National Park.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.227 g.
  • Population down 17.6% since 2011.
  • Cold winters, climate zone E.

Overview

San Severino Lucano is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,373 residents, ranked 60 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Severino Lucano is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 1b. Only 40 of 100 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.227 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Severino Lucano, 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 17.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Severino Lucano declared an average taxable income of 16,906 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Severino Lucano is in climate zone E, with 2,504 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 877 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Severino Lucano has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 2 parks and green areas.

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 1.8% of the land in San Severino Lucano, 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 no contaminated sites in San Severino Lucano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Severino 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 Severino 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 27 inhabited census areas in San Severino Lucano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 98.0%

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

ISTAT code 076078. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.