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Alì: 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 Alì

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 Spirito Santo 1, Alì.

Alì, the hill village above the Ionian coast

Alì sits in the Peloritani, the mountains at the north-eastern tip of Sicily, on the side facing the Ionian Sea between Messina and Taormina. The village is on a hillside at around 450 metres, while on the coast below lies Alì Terme, a separate municipality. For work, secondary schools and services people go down to the coast and towards Messina; the railway and the Messina-Catania motorway run along the shore.

Buying in Alì means a hill house with the sea close by, often in an old centre of narrow lanes and masonry houses on several levels. Many homes have been closed for a long time: before buying, check roofs, floors and damp and work out what it will cost to put them right. The climate zone is C, with mild winters.

The village has emptied quickly. In 2023 Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 632 residents, 191 fewer than in 2011, a drop of 23.2%. The average age is 47.7 against 46.7 in the province of Messina, and over-65s make up 27.4%. Average declared income is below the provincial level.

Earthquakes are the point not to overlook. Alì is in seismic zone 1 of the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, the highest, along with 16 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.243 g. For a masonry building, have an engineer assess the structure and ask whether any seismic upgrading has been done.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published. On the steep Peloritani slopes the report reads elevation, gradient and landslide hazard for the individual address, and near the streams the flood maps.

Key points

  • Peloritani hill village above Alì Terme and the Ionian coast.
  • 632 residents, down 23.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, like 16 other Messina municipalities.
  • Expected acceleration about 0.243 g: have the structure assessed.

Overview

Alì is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 632 residents, among the smallest in the province (99 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alì is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 17 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.243 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Alì, 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 23.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alì declared an average taxable income of 16,734 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Alì is in climate zone C, with 1,396 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 450 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Alì has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets 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 2.8% of the land in Alì, 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

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 Alì.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Alì: 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 Alì 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 6 inhabited census areas in Alì. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 083002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.