Castelvetrano: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Trapani, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Castelvetrano
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 Giuseppe Mazzini 2, Castelvetrano.
Castelvetrano, Selinunte and the olives of the Belice
The temples of Selinunte, one of the largest archaeological parks in the Mediterranean, stand within Castelvetrano's boundaries, looking out over the Strait of Sicily. The town itself lies higher up, on a plateau about ten kilometres from the coast, surrounded by the olive groves that produce Nocellara del Belice, a table olive known all over Italy. The Palermo to Mazara del Vallo motorway has an exit for Castelvetrano.
House hunters will find three different settings. The historic centre, with stone palazzi and churches, where many homes stand empty and prices are low; the newer districts around it; and the coast, with the villages of Marinella di Selinunte and Triscina. In Triscina many houses were built without permits and some have been demolished in recent years, so for a property by the sea checking that it is legally built comes first, before the price.
The population is falling: 29,281 residents in 2023, down 8.0% since 2011, or 2,543 fewer people. The estimated average age of 46.1 is in line with the province of Trapani, and foreign residents make up 5.1%. Average incomes are slightly below the provincial level.
The 1968 Belice valley earthquake struck villages a few kilometres from here. Today Castelvetrano is in seismic zone 2, like 18 municipalities in the province, while 6 are in the most hazardous class. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.106 g. For masonry buildings in the old centre, ask whether any strengthening work has been done, and under which permits.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the seaside villages too, and the report traces the plot from the address, also checking flood hazard near the streams that run down to the coast.
Key points
- Selinunte and the Marinella and Triscina coast lie in the municipality.
- 29,281 residents, down 8.0% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2; 6 in the province in the top class.
- On the coast, check the building is legal before looking at price.
Overview
Castelvetrano is a municipality in the province of Trapani, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 29,281 residents, ranked 5 of 25 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelvetrano is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (18 of 25) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.106 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castelvetrano, 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 8.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelvetrano declared an average taxable income of 18,155 euros, in line with the province (18,927 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castelvetrano is in climate zone C, with 1,055 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 187 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelvetrano has 30 schools and 11 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 27 grocery shops and supermarkets, 25 healthcare facilities and 17 sports facilities.
There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).
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 7.8% of the land in Castelvetrano, compared with 7.9% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 23.7 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Castelvetrano, and 4 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 Castelvetrano: 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 Castelvetrano 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 142 inhabited census areas in Castelvetrano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 7.4%
- fair 27.8%
- good 64.8%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 081006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.