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Acquedolci: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Acquedolci

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 Generale Armando Diaz 1, Acquedolci.

Acquedolci, the Nebrodi coast below San Fratello

Acquedolci is a young town on an old coastline. It grew during the twentieth century on the flat strip between the Nebrodi mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, below the hill town of San Fratello, and was largely built to house families who moved down from San Fratello after a major landslide. That is why the centre has a regular street grid and mostly recent houses, unlike the perched villages around it. Sant'Agata di Militello, the local service town, is a few minutes to the east.

The land rises quickly from the beach to the hills. In the limestone cliffs above the town is the San Teodoro cave, known to researchers for the prehistoric remains found there. The Palermo to Messina railway and the SS113 road run along the coast, while the A20 motorway passes further inland and links the town with both cities.

At the end of 2023 Acquedolci had 5,485 residents, down 4.5% on 2011. The average age, 45.6, is lower than in the province (46.7), and people over 65 make up 23.2%. Foreign residents are few, at 2.5%.

The province of Messina is one of the most earthquake-prone in Italy: 17 municipalities are in zone 1 and all the others in zone 2, Acquedolci included, where the expected ground acceleration is about 0.173 g. If you are buying a flat in a reinforced concrete building from the 1970s or 1980s, ask for the structural design and any safety assessments carried out since.

The town's own history says a lot about landslides. The Nebrodi slopes behind the built-up area deserve a careful look, as do the streams that run down to the sea. The report checks the official hazard maps for the address, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available.

Key points

  • A twentieth-century town on the coast, below San Fratello.
  • 5,485 residents, average age 45.6.
  • Seismic zone 2; 17 municipalities in the province in zone 1.
  • Nebrodi slopes and streams to be checked for each address.

Overview

Acquedolci is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,485 residents, ranked 20 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Acquedolci is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.173 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Acquedolci, 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 4.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Acquedolci declared an average taxable income of 18,192 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Acquedolci is in climate zone B, with 716 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, Acquedolci has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.

There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 16.2% of the land in Acquedolci, compared with 6.0% 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 no open contaminated sites in Acquedolci; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Acquedolci: 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 Acquedolci 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 26 inhabited census areas in Acquedolci. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.7%
  • fair 32.2%
  • good 55.5%
  • very good 11.6%

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

ISTAT code 083107. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.