Torre Orsaia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Torre Orsaia
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 Roma 1, Torre Orsaia.
Torre Orsaia, Cilento hills above the gulf of Policastro
Torre Orsaia is a hill village in southern Cilento, the stretch of Campania south of Salerno, set back from the gulf of Policastro. From the centre, at around 300 metres, the coast is about twenty minutes by car: close enough for summer beaches, far enough to stay out of the holiday-home market of the seafront. The land is olive groves, chestnut woods and steep gullies, with the Cilento National Park all around.
In the centre you find multi-storey stone houses, often with steep stairs and little outdoor space. In the countryside there are farmhouses and plots with olive trees. Distances to larger services are noticeable: for a hospital and secondary schools people head down to the coast or towards the Vallo di Diano. Think carefully about the daily journey, especially in winter.
The village is slowly ageing and shrinking. At the end of 2023 it had 1,950 residents, down 10.8% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.1, against 45.2 in the province of Salerno, and over-65s make up 30.2%, against 22.7%. Foreign residents are 2.3%. The climate is mild, zone C.
Torre Orsaia is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.115 g. With a stone house in the centre, find out whether the roof has been rebuilt and the walls strengthened, and have any cracks looked at before making an offer.
Cadastral data is available on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps. On the steeper slopes, the report shows the official landslide map areas for the individual address.
Key points
- Cilento hills, near the gulf of Policastro.
- Stone houses in the centre, farmhouses and olives outside.
- Average age 49.1, above the provincial figure.
- Seismic zone 2: check roof and walls.
Overview
Torre Orsaia is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 1,950 residents, ranked 86 of 158 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Torre Orsaia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (97 of 158) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.115 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Torre Orsaia, 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 10.8%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (45). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 2.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Torre Orsaia declared an average taxable income of 17,540 euros, below the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Torre Orsaia is in climate zone C, with 1,300 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 295 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Torre Orsaia has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 6.1% of the land in Torre Orsaia, compared with 8.0% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.
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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Torre Orsaia. 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 Torre Orsaia: 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 Torre Orsaia 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 20 inhabited census areas in Torre Orsaia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 2.6%
- fair 34.6%
- good 62.8%
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 065149. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.