Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Buscemi: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Buscemi

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: Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1, Buscemi.

Buscemi, a Hyblaean village above 700 metres

Buscemi lies in the Hyblaean Mountains, in the interior of the province of Siracusa, at more than 700 metres: high enough that the heating goes on in winter, even in Sicily. The village is known for its open-air museum of farming life, with traditional workshops and workplaces recreated in several buildings around the centre.

The centre keeps several churches and many one- and two-storey houses in limestone. Buyers often find homes that need work, with costs driven mainly by the roof, the wiring and plumbing, and damp. For work, the hospital and secondary schools, people drive to the larger towns of the plateau and to Siracusa.

At the end of 2023 there were 944 residents, down 16.3% from 1,128 in 2011. The average age is 48.7, against 45.4 in the province, and over-65s make up 28.3%. Households have 1.97 people on average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 1, like 17 of the 21 municipalities in the province of Siracusa, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.274 g, a high value. With a stone building, the area's seismic history is a good reason to have the connections between walls and floors checked before you buy, not after.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry covers Buscemi, so the report goes from the address to the parcel and shows landslide and flood hazard, the slope of the plot and actual distances to schools, the pharmacy and shops.

Key points

  • Village in the Hyblaean Mountains, above 700 metres.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.274 g.
  • 944 residents in 2023, down 16.3% since 2011.
  • Many stone houses: check walls, floors and roof.

Overview

Buscemi is a municipality in the province of Siracusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 944 residents, among the smallest in the province (20 of 21).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Buscemi is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 21) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.274 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Buscemi, 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 16.3%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (45). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Buscemi declared an average taxable income of 17,021 euros, below the provincial average (20,509 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Buscemi is in climate zone D, with 1,652 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 761 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Buscemi has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 parks and green areas.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 2.5% of the land in Buscemi, compared with 9.2% 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 Buscemi.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Buscemi: 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 Buscemi 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 14 inhabited census areas in Buscemi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 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 089004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.