Aci Castello: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Aci Castello
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 Provinciale 1, Aci Castello.
Aci Castello, the castle on the lava and the Aci Trezza sea stacks
Heading north out of Catania along the coast, the rocks turn black: from here on the shore is made of lava. Aci Castello takes its name from the Norman castle built on a spur of volcanic rock rising sheer from the sea, while the hamlet of Aci Trezza, facing the sea stacks known as the Cyclops Islands, is the fishing village where Giovanni Verga set his novel I Malavoglia. Further inland, towards Cannizzaro, the municipality merges into Catania's residential districts.
It is one of the places where better-off Catania families choose to live: villas and sea-view blocks of flats along the coast road, smaller blocks higher up, and little free land. Declared incomes are well above the provincial average. In summer the coast fills up and traffic into Catania can be heavy; near the sea, buyers should also budget for the upkeep that salt air demands on steelwork, window frames and façades.
At the end of 2023 there were 17,755 residents, down 2.0% since 2011, or 367 fewer. Aci Castello is older than the province: estimated average age 47.5 against 44.2, over-65s at 26.1% against 21.9%. Foreign residents are only 2.9%.
The town lies on the eastern flank of Etna, where active faults produce shallow earthquakes. Under the zones set by Italy's Civil Protection Department, 54 municipalities in the province are in zone 2 like Aci Castello and 4 in zone 1, but the expected ground acceleration here, about 0.212 g, is high, in the upper part of the range for its zone. In a block of flats, ask for the design year, the structural documents and whether checks or strengthening have been carried out.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and from the address the report reaches the plot. On the rocky coast and wherever the ground drops steeply to the sea, conditions change from one building to the next and are read for the exact address.
Key points
- Lava coast north of Catania, with the Aci Trezza sea stacks.
- Average age 47.5, above the province; foreign residents 2.9%.
- Seismic zone 2 on the flank of Etna, acceleration about 0.212 g.
- Incomes well above the average for the province of Catania.
Overview
Aci Castello is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 17,755 residents, ranked 17 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Aci Castello is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (54 of 58) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.212 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Aci Castello, 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 2.0%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (44). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Aci Castello declared an average taxable income of 27,593 euros, above the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Aci Castello is in climate zone B, with 784 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 15 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Aci Castello has 14 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 27 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.1 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 32.7% of the land in Aci Castello, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Aci Castello. 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 Aci Castello: 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 Aci Castello 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 50 inhabited census areas in Aci Castello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 17.6%
- good 78.8%
- very good 3.6%
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 087002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.