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Calatabiano: 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 Calatabiano

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 Umberto Primo 1, Calatabiano.

Calatabiano, a castle on the Alcantara between Taormina and Etna

The river Alcantara marks the border between the provinces of Catania and Messina, and Calatabiano sits on the Catania bank, along the last stretch of the river down to its mouth. On the far side lie Giardini Naxos and Taormina; behind the town rise the lower slopes of Etna. Above the town, on a crag, a castle of medieval origin looks over the valley and the coast.

The land runs from the river mouth and the coastal plain, planted with citrus groves, up to the hills inland. Many residents work in the Taormina tourist area or towards Catania, and both are reached mainly by car along the coast. In the centre many houses are low, often built of lava stone; on the plain and towards the sea there are small villas and holiday homes. Declared average incomes remain below the provincial level.

There were 5,118 residents in 2023, 4.9% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 46.6, against 44.2 for the province, and over-65s make up 24.7%. Households average 2.07 people, and foreign residents account for 4.5%.

Being close to Etna shows in the earthquake figures too. Calatabiano is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.211 g. For a lava-stone building, find out how the walls and floors are tied together; for a reinforced concrete one, ask for the design date and any assessments carried out. In the province, 4 municipalities are in zone 1, the highest.

The Alcantara and the local streams can flood the plain in heavy autumn rain, and the slopes above the town are steep: the report checks the flood and landslide maps for the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • Catania bank of the Alcantara, facing Giardini Naxos.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.211 g.
  • 5,118 residents, down 4.9% since 2011.
  • Citrus-growing coastal plain: check flood maps for the address.

Overview

Calatabiano is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,118 residents, ranked 41 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Calatabiano 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 0.211 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Calatabiano, 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 4.9%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (44). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Calatabiano declared an average taxable income of 16,315 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Calatabiano is in climate zone C, with 913 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 60 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Calatabiano has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.6 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.3).

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 6.7% of the land in Calatabiano, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.0 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 no contaminated sites in Calatabiano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Calatabiano: 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 Calatabiano 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 49 inhabited census areas in Calatabiano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.3%
  • fair 20.2%
  • good 43.8%
  • very good 30.7%

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 087010. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.