Viggianello: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Potenza, Basilicata. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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: Contrada Gallizzi 1, Viggianello.
Viggianello, on the Basilicata side of the Pollino
Viggianello is a mountain village on the Basilicata side of the Pollino National Park, the largest national park in Italy. The old centre climbs a hill, its stone houses tight around the remains of the castle, and the municipality covers a very large area split into many rural districts scattered among woods, pasture and valleys.
The village lives on farming, livestock and tourism built around nature and hiking in the Pollino. For buyers the market is that of small inland towns: stone houses to renovate in the old centre, farmhouses in the countryside and few recent homes. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average. Distances matter: the hospital, secondary schools and offices are in the larger towns of the area, and living here without a car is hard. For a house in the countryside, check how you reach it in winter.
The population is falling and ageing. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,659 residents (2023), down 14.9% since 2011. The average age is 51.1 against 47.3 in the province, with over-65s at 32.7%. Foreign residents make up 1.2%.
Earthquakes should not be underestimated. Viggianello is in seismic zone 1, the highest, like 39 other municipalities in the province of Potenza, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.254 g. For a stone house, have an engineer check the structure and ask for the paperwork of any work done.
On mountain slopes the report measures the gradient and elevation of the plot and checks the official landslide maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published and links the address to its land parcel.
Key points
- Basilicata side of the Pollino National Park
- Stone village and many scattered rural districts
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.254 g
- 2,659 residents, down 14.9% since 2011
Overview
Viggianello is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata. At the end of 2023 it had 2,659 residents, ranked 36 of 100 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Viggianello 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 0.254 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Viggianello, 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 14.9%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 25%). Foreign residents make up 1.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Viggianello declared an average taxable income of 16,568 euros, below the provincial average (20,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Viggianello is in climate zone E, with 2,102 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 500 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Viggianello has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 sports facilities 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 2.0% of the land in Viggianello, compared with 3.5% in the province and 3.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Viggianello.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Viggianello: 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 Viggianello 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 56 inhabited census areas in Viggianello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.3%
- fair 94.7%
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 076097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.