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Tricarico: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Matera, Basilicata. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Tricarico

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 Appia 1, Tricarico.

Tricarico, the Norman tower and the Arab quarters

Tricarico keeps two quarters with Arabic names, the Rabata and the Saraceno, and above the town rises a round Norman tower visible from afar. It was the home of Rocco Scotellaro, poet and post-war mayor, and every year, from the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot in January, the carnival brings out masks of bulls and cows wearing cowbells. The centre stands at around 700 metres, on a hill overlooking the Basento valley.

For house hunters, prices are low and there is plenty of choice, since many homes in the old centre are empty. Houses are stone-built on several levels, with steep stairs and narrow entrances, and almost always need renovation. Potenza and Matera are about an hour's drive away; the Basentana dual carriageway runs along the valley below. Winters are cold for southern Italy, so heating and insulation weigh on the budget.

The fall in residents is steep: 4,710 in 2023, 959 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 16.9%. The average age is 49.1 against 46.3 in the province of Matera, and over-65s are 29.7% against 24.8%. Foreign residents make up 2.7%.

The town is in seismic zone 2, like 16 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.172 g. For a stone building, ask whether any work was done after past earthquakes, and what. On the clay slopes around the hill, the report checks landslide maps for the precise address.

Key points

  • Rabata, Saraceno and the Norman tower above the Basento.
  • 4,710 residents, down 16.9% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 29.7% against 24.8% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.172 g.

Overview

Tricarico is a municipality in the province of Matera, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 4,710 residents, ranked 11 of 31 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Tricarico is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2c. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 31) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.172 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Tricarico, 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 16.9%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (46). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Tricarico declared an average taxable income of 19,149 euros, in line with the province (19,958 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Tricarico is in climate zone D, with 2,056 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 698 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Tricarico has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

There are 1.7 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.0).

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 1.7% of the land in Tricarico, compared with 2.7% 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Tricarico, and 3 more have 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 Tricarico: 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 Tricarico 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 73 inhabited census areas in Tricarico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 8.1%
  • good 71.5%
  • very good 20.5%

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

ISTAT code 077028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.