Scanzano Jonico: 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 Scanzano Jonico
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 Tagliamento 1, Scanzano Jonico.
Scanzano Jonico, orchards and beaches of the Metapontino
Scanzano Jonico is a lowland municipality on the Ionian coast of Basilicata, in southern Italy, in the Metapontino area between the rivers Agri and Cavone. It is reclaimed land given over to intensive farming: orchards, citrus groves, greenhouses and strawberry fields run right up to the pine woods and the beaches.
The municipality has a main town inland, on the SS106 coast road, and a seaside part with summer houses, holiday villages and beach clubs. Anyone buying to live here all year finds detached houses and small blocks at prices low compared with other Italian coasts; for a holiday home, check the state of the complex and the distance from the beach. Policoro, a little to the south, has more services, while hospitals and larger offices often mean a longer trip. The climate is mild (zone C), with hot summers.
This is a growing, young town, which is rare in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 there were 7,491 residents, up 4.5% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and Scanzano ranks number 7 by population in the province of Matera. The average age is 43.4 against 46.3 in the province, and over-65s make up 20.3%. Foreign residents are 12.1%, many of them working in the fields and on farms. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.
In the province of Matera, 17 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 14 in zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's scale. Scanzano is in zone 3, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.081 g, a low value. For houses put up quickly during the farming and tourism boom, it is still worth asking for structural documents and building permits.
The plain is low and crossed by rivers and drainage channels: near the Agri, the Cavone and the coast, flood hazard changes a lot from one spot to another. The report checks it for the address and traces the plot using the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- Farmland and beaches of the Metapontino, between the Agri and Cavone.
- Residents up 4.5% since 2011, average age 43.4.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.081 g.
- Rivers and drainage channels: flood hazard checked by address.
Overview
Scanzano Jonico is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 7,491 residents, ranked 7 of 31 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Scanzano Jonico is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3b. Only 14 of 31 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.081 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 grown by 4.5%. The estimated average age is 43 years, lower than the province average (46). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 12.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Scanzano Jonico declared an average taxable income of 15,993 euros, below the provincial average (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Scanzano Jonico is in climate zone C, with 1,131 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 21 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Scanzano Jonico has 6 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.
There are 0.7 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).
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 5.0% of the land in Scanzano Jonico, compared with 2.7% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Scanzano Jonico. 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 Scanzano Jonico: 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 Scanzano Jonico 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 34 inhabited census areas in Scanzano Jonico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 20.7%
- good 66.8%
- very good 12.5%
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 077031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.