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Venosa: 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 Venosa

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, Venosa.

Venosa, Horace's birthplace on the Vulture plateau

Venosa, where the Latin poet Horace was born, is a farming town in the north of Basilicata. It stands on a tableland between two ravines at around four hundred metres, not far from Melfi and Monte Vulture, surrounded by wheat fields, olive groves and the vineyards of Aglianico del Vulture. History is everywhere: the fifteenth-century castle with its moat, the abbey of the Santissima Trinità with its great unfinished church, the archaeological park and the Jewish catacombs.

The historic centre is compact, mostly stone houses on several floors, many of them in need of renovation, while newer buildings spread along the roads out of town. Many families work in farming, in services or in the Melfi industrial area, which is reached by car. Climate zone D means cool winters and several months of heating.

As in much of inland Basilicata, the population is shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,795 residents in 2023, down 11.3% since 2011, or 1,372 fewer people. The estimated average age is 47.0, slightly below the province (47.3), and over-65s make up 24.4%. Foreign residents account for 3.6%. There are 11 healthcare facilities on record, 1.02 per 1,000 residents against a provincial average of 0.55.

The province of Potenza is among the most earthquake-prone in Italy, with 40 municipalities in zone 1 and 59 in zone 2 of the national classification. Venosa is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.174 g. For a masonry house in the old town, ask whether seismic upgrading has been carried out and under which permits.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report reaches the plot from the address. At the edges of the plateau the slopes drop steeply into the ravines, so landslide hazard should be checked for the specific building.

Key points

  • Horace's birthplace, with a castle, an abbey and an archaeological park.
  • Population down 11.3% since 2011, 1,372 fewer residents.
  • Seismic zone 2; 40 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
  • Stone houses in the old town, steep slopes at the edge of the plateau.

Overview

Venosa is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 10,795 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 100).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Venosa 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 (59 of 100) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.174 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Venosa, 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 11.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Venosa declared an average taxable income of 19,432 euros, in line with the province (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Venosa is in climate zone D, with 1,663 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 415 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Venosa has 12 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.0 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 3.8% of the land in Venosa, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 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 Venosa, 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 Venosa: 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 Venosa 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 57 inhabited census areas in Venosa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 82 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 29.1%
  • good 8.8%
  • very good 62.0%

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 076095. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.