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Altavilla Milicia: 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 Altavilla Milicia

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 Loreto 1, Altavilla Milicia.

Altavilla Milicia, on the coast east of Palermo

Altavilla Milicia looks out over the Tyrrhenian Sea east of Palermo, beyond Bagheria and Casteldaccia, with hills behind and the sea in front. The old town stands on a terrace above the coast, while along the shore and on the slopes detached houses have multiplied, many of them built as summer homes for families from Palermo. Winters are mild.

In recent years many of those second homes have become main homes, and the population has grown quickly. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 8,837 residents at the end of 2023, up 19.0% on 2011. The estimated average age is 43.2, a little below the 44.7 of the province of Palermo, and foreign residents are only 1.8%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Commuters to Palermo rely on the Palermo to Catania motorway, which passes close by, and the coastal railway with its station at Altavilla. Before buying a villa in the hills, check the access road, the connections to mains water and sewerage and the planning status, including any condono, the amnesty for unauthorised building, which should always be checked in full on Sicilian coasts.

Earthquakes need to be taken into account. Altavilla is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 81 of the 82 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.180 g. Detached houses from the 1970s to the 1990s, often extended in stages, deserve a structural check by an engineer.

Short, steep streams run down from the hills to the sea and can rise quickly in heavy rain. The report checks the flood and landslide maps at the exact spot of the house and, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, which are published, traces it to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Tyrrhenian coast east of Palermo, beyond Bagheria.
  • Population up 19.0% since 2011 as holiday homes became main homes.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.180 g.
  • Hillside villas: check access, utilities and planning amnesties.

Overview

Altavilla Milicia is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 8,837 residents, ranked 20 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Altavilla Milicia 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 0.180 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Altavilla Milicia, 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 grown by 19.0%. The estimated average age is 43 years, lower than the province average (45). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Altavilla Milicia declared an average taxable income of 22,345 euros, in line with the province (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Altavilla Milicia is in climate zone B, with 869 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 73 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Altavilla Milicia has 6 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 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 16.0% of the land in Altavilla Milicia, compared with 5.7% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.5 hectares.

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 Altavilla Milicia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Altavilla Milicia: 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 Altavilla Milicia 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 69 inhabited census areas in Altavilla Milicia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 16.6%
  • fair 12.2%
  • good 30.0%
  • very good 41.2%

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 082004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.