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Biancavilla: 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 Biancavilla

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 Secondo 1, Biancavilla.

Biancavilla, on the south-west slopes of Etna

Biancavilla stretches along the south-western slopes of Mount Etna, between Adrano and Santa Maria di Licodia, with its town hall at around 500 metres. Its origins go back to a community of Albanian refugees who settled here in the late fifteenth century. Today it is a farming and residential town surrounded by citrus and olive groves on lava soils, and the Circumetnea railway runs through it, linking the towns around the volcano with Catania.

The volcano is part of daily life. Etna's lava flows have reached its lower slopes many times over the centuries, and the ash that falls after eruptions is a recurring nuisance for roofs, gutters and cars. The upper part of town climbs steeply, and the report measures elevation and slope at the address and checks the official landslide and flood maps.

At the end of 2023 there were 22,962 residents, down 3.1% since 2011. The population is young, with an average age of 42.0 against 44.2 for the province of Catania and over-65s at 19.8% against 21.9%. Few residents are foreign, 2.7%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is high. Biancavilla is in seismic zone 2, like 54 municipalities in the province, while 4 are in zone 1, the highest; expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.177 g. For a stone house or a block built before modern seismic rules, the first step is to ask for the design date, any structural assessments and the work carried out, and Italy's tax incentives for seismic upgrading can change the sums.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • South-west slopes of Etna, on the Circumetnea railway.
  • 22,962 residents, average age 42.0, below the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.177 g.
  • Steep streets and volcanic ash: check roofs and structure.

Overview

Biancavilla is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 22,962 residents, ranked 13 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Biancavilla 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 0.177 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Biancavilla, 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 3.1%. 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 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Biancavilla declared an average taxable income of 16,055 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Biancavilla is in climate zone C, with 1,391 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 515 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Biancavilla has 18 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.4 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 9.2% of the land in Biancavilla, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Biancavilla; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Biancavilla: 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 Biancavilla 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 59 inhabited census areas in Biancavilla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 11.7%
  • good 61.1%
  • very good 27.2%

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 087008. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.