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Castell'Umberto: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castell'Umberto

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: Contrada Cammara Superiore 1, Castell'Umberto.

Castell'Umberto, the Nebrodi hills above the Tyrrhenian

Castell'Umberto is a hill village on the Tyrrhenian side of the Nebrodi mountains, in the province of Messina, at about 660 metres. The coast is in sight and about twenty minutes away down winding roads: by the sea are the larger towns of the area, with the hospital, secondary schools, shops, the railway and the Palermo-Messina motorway.

The municipality is made up of a centre and several scattered hamlets among hazelnut groves, olive trees and woods. For buyers, location matters a lot: a house in the centre has basic services close by, while one in a hamlet offers space and land but needs a car for everything. Buildings are mostly masonry or concrete, often from the 1960s and 1970s, and many belong to families who emigrated. Winters are cool, in climate zone D.

The village has lost some of its residents. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,815 (2023), down 14.6% since 2011. The average age is 47.3, close to the 46.7 of the metropolitan area, and over-65s are 27.2%. Foreign residents are 1.2%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Messina area is one of the most seismically active parts of Italy. Castell'Umberto is in zone 2, like 91 of the 108 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.185 g. Before buying, find out how the house was built and whether there is structural paperwork; a survey costs little compared with the purchase.

On the slopes of the Nebrodi, the report checks the gradient and the official landslide and flood maps for the address, and adds the price band, cadastral data and services within reach.

Key points

  • Nebrodi hills, on the Tyrrhenian side
  • A centre and scattered hamlets among hazelnut and olive groves
  • 2,815 residents, down 14.6% since 2011
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.185 g

Overview

Castell'Umberto is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,815 residents, ranked 41 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castell'Umberto is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.185 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castell'Umberto, 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 14.6%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castell'Umberto declared an average taxable income of 16,538 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castell'Umberto is in climate zone D, with 1,755 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 660 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castell'Umberto has 5 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 2.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 11.1% of the land in Castell'Umberto, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Castell'Umberto.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castell'Umberto: 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 Castell'Umberto 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 20 inhabited census areas in Castell'Umberto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 51.1%
  • good 39.4%
  • very good 9.4%

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 083014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.