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Alia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Alia

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, Alia.

Alia, high farming country inland from Palermo

Far from the coast in the interior of Palermo province, Alia sits on high ground above 700 metres, among wheat fields and pasture that turn yellow in summer. It is a farming town, known for the Grotte della Gurfa, a group of rooms carved into the rock just outside the village. Palermo is more than an hour's drive away, and for many services people rely on the larger towns of the area.

The housing market consists of houses in the village, often terraced along sloping streets, and country houses. Many are empty or belong to families who emigrated, and their condition varies widely. Before buying, have the roof, damp and wiring checked, and use the report to look at the slope and the official ground maps for that plot.

Istat, the national statistics office, records 3,241 residents (2023), down 14.8% since 2011. The population is ageing: average age 48.2 against 44.7 in the province, with 28.8% over 65. Foreign residents are few, at 1.5%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average. The altitude means cool winters, in climate zone D.

Almost all of Palermo province is in seismic zone 2, and Alia is one of those 81 municipalities. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.099 g, a medium to low value. In older stone and brick houses, it is worth asking whether the floors have been rebuilt and whether the walls are tied together.

Key points

  • Inland farming town above 700 metres.
  • 3,241 residents, down 14.8% since 2011.
  • 28.8% over 65, average age 48.2.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.099 g.

Overview

Alia is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,241 residents, ranked 43 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Alia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.099 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Alia, 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 14.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Alia declared an average taxable income of 15,403 euros, below the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Alia is in climate zone D, with 1,744 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 726 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Alia has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 2 sports facilities.

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 3.8% of the land in Alia, compared with 5.7% 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 low. 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 Alia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Alia: 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 Alia 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 22 inhabited census areas in Alia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 15.4%
  • good 33.5%
  • very good 51.1%

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 082001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.