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Adrano: 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

Search for an address in Adrano

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 Terzo 1, Adrano.

Adrano, on the flank of Etna above the Simeto valley

From Adrano you see Etna side-on. The town sits on the south-western slope of the volcano at around 560 metres, overlooking the Simeto valley. At its heart is the Norman castle, a massive square tower that now houses a museum, and further down, on the river, stands the Ponte dei Saraceni, an old stone bridge.

It is a large farming town, with citrus groves, olives and orchards on volcanic soil, linked to Catania by the Circumetnea railway and by the road down to Paternò. Average income is much lower than in the province. Services on record are thinner than average: 11 healthcare facilities, 0.33 per 1,000 residents against 0.72, and 8 sports facilities. Many houses in the centre are built of lava stone and often need renovation.

The population is young and slowly shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 33,781 residents in 2023, 5.0% fewer than in 2011, with an average age of 42.1 against 44.2 in the province. Households have 2.53 members on average and foreign residents are few, 1.6%.

Earthquakes on Etna are frequent and often shallow, and can do damage even at modest magnitudes. Adrano is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.157 g; the province of Catania also has 4 municipalities in zone 1. For a masonry house in the centre, have the ties between walls and floors and the roof checked.

The volcano also brings ash, which during some eruptions settles on roofs, gutters and courtyards and has to be cleared. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry maps are published, and the report checks landslide and flood hazard for the address along the gullies running down to the Simeto.

Key points

  • South-west flank of Etna, around 560 metres, above the Simeto.
  • 33,781 residents, average age 42.1.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.157 g.
  • Few foreign residents: 1.6% of the population.

Overview

Adrano is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 33,781 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 58).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Adrano 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 0.157 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Adrano, 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 5.0%. The estimated average age is 42 years, lower than the province average (44). 20% 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 Adrano declared an average taxable income of 14,915 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Adrano is in climate zone D, with 1,438 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 560 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Adrano has 22 schools and 11 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 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 10.2% of the land in Adrano, 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 no contaminated sites in Adrano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Adrano: 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 Adrano 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 672 inhabited census areas in Adrano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 8.2%
  • good 54.3%
  • very good 37.2%

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 087006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.