Sant'Arcangelo: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Sant'Arcangelo
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 Umberto Primo 1, Sant'Arcangelo.
Sant'Arcangelo, above the Agri valley towards the Ionian Sea
From the rise on which Sant'Arcangelo stands, at around 400 metres, you look out over the Agri valley in the south of Basilicata. The provincial capital, Potenza, is a long way off, while the Ionian coast is reached by following the valley road down. Just outside the town is the convent of Santa Maria di Orsoleo, the best-known monument in the area.
By population Sant'Arcangelo ranks 11 out of 100 municipalities in the province, which makes it a town of some weight locally. The landscape alternates between the farmed Agri plain and clay hills cut by calanchi, the deep gullies that water carves into clay. Buyers will find houses in the centre, often old and on several floors, and more recent buildings on the edges of town. Average incomes are well below the provincial figure.
According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 5,955 residents in 2023, down 8.5% since 2011. The population is slightly younger than the province: an average age of 45.8 against 47.3, with over-65s at 24.6%. Foreign residents make up 5.6%, partly linked to farm work.
On earthquakes Sant'Arcangelo is an exception. It is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, while in the rest of the province 40 municipalities are in zone 1 and 59 in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.124 g, lower than elsewhere around Potenza, but earthquakes do happen here. For a masonry house in the centre, ask whether walls and floors have been strengthened.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces the land parcel from the address. On the clay, landslides are the most serious issue, and on the valley floor near the Agri flooding matters too. Both are checked for the individual address, since they vary a great deal across the town.
Key points
- Above the Agri valley, with the Orsoleo convent just outside town.
- Seismic zone 3, lower than the rest of the province.
- 5,955 residents, down 8.5% since 2011.
- Clay hills and gullies: landslide hazard checked by address.
Overview
Sant'Arcangelo is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 5,955 residents, ranked 11 of 100 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sant'Arcangelo 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. It is the only municipality in the province in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.124 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 8.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (47). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 5.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sant'Arcangelo declared an average taxable income of 17,386 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Sant'Arcangelo is in climate zone D, with 1,614 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 388 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sant'Arcangelo has 9 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.
There are 0.8 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 2.6% of the land in Sant'Arcangelo, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Sant'Arcangelo, and one more has been cleaned up or closed. 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 Sant'Arcangelo: 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 Sant'Arcangelo 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 49 inhabited census areas in Sant'Arcangelo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 11.3%
- good 56.9%
- very good 31.8%
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 076080. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.