Aci Catena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Aci Catena
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 Vittorio Emanuele 1, Aci Catena.
Aci Catena, between Catania and Acireale on Etna's lower slopes
Aci Catena is one of the group of "Aci" towns that fill the strip between Catania and Acireale, on the lower eastern slopes of Etna. Its territory borders Acireale and is almost entirely built up, running without a break into the neighbouring towns; the village of Aci San Filippo also belongs to it. Catania is about fifteen kilometres away, the sea a few minutes' drive.
It is mainly a residential municipality. Many residents work in Catania or Acireale and find flats and detached houses here at lower prices. Streets are often narrow and sloping, and the fabric is dense, so the real distance to schools, stops and shops changes a lot from one street to the next. Bars, restaurants, healthcare facilities and sports grounds per resident are below the provincial average, because many services are in the nearby towns.
There were 27,740 residents in 2023, down 3.5% on 2011. The population is younger than the province of Catania, with an estimated average age of 43.0 against 44.2 and over-65s at 18.7%. Households average 2.55 people and foreign residents are only 1.6%.
Earthquakes are the first thing to think about. Eastern Sicily was devastated by the 1693 earthquake, and Etna's eastern flank is crossed by faults that produce shallow tremors: the one in December 2018 damaged several towns in the area. Aci Catena is in seismic zone 2, like 54 municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.220 g, a high value. For any purchase, ask for the structural design, the official sign-off, the construction date and any later work.
The report starts from the address and adds elevation, slope, landslide and flood hazard and the plot on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- Between Catania and Acireale, on Etna's eastern slope.
- Residential town, most services in nearby cities.
- 27,740 residents, average age 43.0.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.220 g.
Overview
Aci Catena is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 27,740 residents, ranked 9 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Aci Catena 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 0.220 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Aci Catena, 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 3.5%. The estimated average age is 43 years, in line with the province. 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Aci Catena declared an average taxable income of 20,361 euros, in line with the province (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Aci Catena is in climate zone C, with 988 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 170 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Aci Catena has 23 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
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 32.8% of the land in Aci Catena, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% 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 Aci Catena.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Aci Catena: 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 Catena 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 54 inhabited census areas in Aci Catena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 78 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 11.0%
- good 45.1%
- very good 43.9%
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 087003. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.