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Butera: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Butera

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 Consi 1, Butera.

Butera, a hilltop town above the plain of Gela

Butera sits on top of a hill, at about four hundred metres, with a view across the plain of Gela to the sea. The municipality covers a large area, almost all of it farmland, and runs down to the coast, where a castle stands above the beach at Falconara. Gela, the largest town in the area, is on the coast to the south-east.

In the town itself you will find houses packed along sloping streets, and there is no shortage of buildings needing renovation. In the countryside there are rural houses and old farm buildings, sometimes a long way from a tarmac road. For work, public offices and larger services, people look to Gela and Caltanissetta, both reached by car.

There were 4,118 residents in 2023, down 16.6% since 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office: 819 fewer people. The average age is 47.3, against 45.2 for the province of Caltanissetta, and over-65s make up 25.4%. Households average 2.14 people, foreign residents are 2.9% and declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

In the province, 4 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 and 18 in zone 3. Butera is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.080 g. In the masonry houses of the centre, built right up against each other, look for cracks in the load-bearing walls and ask whether the roof and floors have been rebuilt and tied into the walls.

On the sides of the hill and across the countryside, landslide hazard has to be read house by house; the report checks it for the address, along with flooding near watercourses. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the address also leads to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Hilltop town looking out over the plain of Gela.
  • 4,118 residents, down 16.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.080 g.
  • Large farming territory reaching the coast at Falconara.

Overview

Butera is a municipality in the province of Caltanissetta, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,118 residents, ranked 11 of 22 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Butera is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (18 of 22) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.080 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 16.6%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (45). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Butera declared an average taxable income of 17,805 euros, below the provincial average (19,090 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Butera is in climate zone C, with 1,271 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 402 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 2.7% of the land in Butera, compared with 4.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.

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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Butera, and 6 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Butera: 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 Butera 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 75 inhabited census areas in Butera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 8.5%
  • good 17.9%
  • very good 73.6%

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 085003. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.