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Sarconi: 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 Sarconi

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 Arciprete Miraglia 1, Sarconi.

Sarconi, beans and the upper Agri valley

Sarconi is a village in the upper Val d'Agri, in the province of Potenza, known throughout Italy for its beans, which carry a protected PGI label and are grown in the fields on the valley floor. The centre stands on a rise above the Agri plain, with the mountains of the Lucanian Apennines all around. For services and the hospital people look to the larger towns in the valley, and Potenza is reached by car.

The population here is growing: 1,422 residents in 2023, up 4.4% on the 1,362 of 2011. The average age is 46.0, a little below the provincial 47.3, and over-65s make up 24.1%. Foreign residents account for 6.3%.

For buyers, earthquakes come first. Sarconi is in seismic zone 1, the most hazardous on the Civil Protection scale, like 39 other municipalities in the province of Potenza, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.260 g. The Agri valley has a long seismic history: for any house, ask for the construction date, the structural design and any upgrading work, and have a surveyor assess older masonry.

Altitude and climate zone D bring cool winters, so check insulation and heating. Ground conditions change between the village and the river plain, and the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report traces the land parcel from the address, which also helps with farmland on the plain.

Key points

  • Upper Agri valley, home of PGI beans.
  • Residents up 4.4% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.260 g.
  • Average age 46.0 against 47.3 in the province.

Overview

Sarconi is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 1,422 residents, ranked 58 of 100 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sarconi 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 1a. 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Sarconi, 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 grown by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 6.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sarconi declared an average taxable income of 17,941 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Sarconi is in climate zone D, with 2,066 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 636 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sarconi has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 2.9% of the land in Sarconi, 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 Sarconi.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Sarconi: 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 Sarconi 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 10 inhabited census areas in Sarconi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 20.7%
  • fair 79.3%

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 076081. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.