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Caltagirone: 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 Caltagirone

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 Acquanuova 1, Caltagirone.

Caltagirone, ceramics town on the hills of the Calatino

Caltagirone looks down on the Calatino countryside from its hilltop, at around six hundred metres, between the Erei and Iblei mountains. It is known for ceramics, which you see everywhere: on the stairway of Santa Maria del Monte, on house fronts, in the workshops. Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, it is one of the late baroque towns of the Val di Noto listed by UNESCO.

The old centre is steep, with narrow streets and flights of steps, pleasant to live in but awkward if you rely on a car or need a lift. Many buildings are old and some have stood empty for years, as residents moved to the newer districts lower down or away altogether. Buyers in the centre find modest prices but should budget for work on roofs, facades and wiring and plumbing.

Figures from Istat, the national statistics office, tell the same story: 35,610 residents in 2023, down 6.6% since 2011 (2,513 fewer people). The mean age is 45.4, above the 44.2 of the province of Catania, and 23.9% are over 65. The town still serves the surrounding villages with a hospital, offices and secondary schools: there are 1.24 school sites per thousand residents against 0.93 across the province.

The Civil Protection Department places Caltagirone in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.181 g, and 4 municipalities in the province of Catania are in zone 1, the highest. In the old masonry houses, check how walls and floors are tied together and whether strengthening work has been done; in 1970s blocks, ask for the structural design and the final inspection certificate.

On the flanks of the hills, slope stability varies from street to street: the report checks landslide hazard on the land parcel, which the Revenue Agency publishes here too, along with the local price band.

Key points

  • Ceramics town, one of the UNESCO baroque towns of the Val di Noto.
  • 35,610 residents, down 6.6% since 2011.
  • Schools: 1.24 per thousand people, province 0.93.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.181 g.

Overview

Caltagirone is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 35,610 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 58).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Caltagirone 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 0.181 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Caltagirone, 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 6.6%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Caltagirone declared an average taxable income of 19,304 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Caltagirone is in climate zone C, with 1,398 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 608 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Caltagirone has 44 schools and 12 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 19 grocery shops and supermarkets, 26 healthcare facilities, 23 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

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 4.3% of the land in Caltagirone, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.4 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 open contaminated sites in Caltagirone; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Caltagirone: 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 Caltagirone 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 1,006 inhabited census areas in Caltagirone. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 20.7%
  • good 45.9%
  • very good 32.9%
  • excellent 0.4%

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 087011. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.