Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Castiglione di Sicilia: 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 Castiglione di Sicilia

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 Nazionale 1, Castiglione di Sicilia.

Castiglione di Sicilia, Etna vineyards above the Alcantara

Castiglione di Sicilia looks down from a height over the Alcantara valley, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, with the old town clustered around the remains of its castle. The municipality runs down towards the river and up towards the volcano, and includes hamlets such as Passopisciaro, Solicchiata and Rovittello, surrounded by vineyards.

The northern side is one of the best-known areas for Etna wine, with wineries, vineyards on lava-stone terraces and rural guesthouses. For buyers that makes a two-sided market: houses in the old town, often old and on several levels, and country houses or old wine-pressing buildings among the vines. Taormina and the Ionian coast are reached by car down the valley; Catania is further away.

There were 2,889 residents in 2023, down 12.4% since 2011. The mean age is 47.2, above the province of Catania (44.2), and 26.6% are over 65. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average, and foreign nationals make up 4.7%.

The Etna area has its own seismic activity, linked to the volcano. Castiglione is in zone 2, like 53 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.202 g. For a lava-stone building, ask how the walls are tied to the floors and whether any structural work has been done. Near the Alcantara and the side gullies, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Northern slopes of Etna, above the Alcantara valley
  • Hamlets among the vines: Passopisciaro, Solicchiata, Rovittello
  • Mean age 47.2, above the province
  • Seismic zone 2, acceleration 0.202 g

Overview

Castiglione di Sicilia is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,889 residents, among the smallest in the province (52 of 58).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castiglione di Sicilia 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 0.202 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castiglione di Sicilia, 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 12.4%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (44). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castiglione di Sicilia declared an average taxable income of 15,819 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castiglione di Sicilia is in climate zone D, with 1,502 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 621 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castiglione di Sicilia has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

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 2.8% of the land in Castiglione di Sicilia, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

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 Castiglione di Sicilia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castiglione di Sicilia: 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 Castiglione di Sicilia 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 53 inhabited census areas in Castiglione di Sicilia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 39.9%
  • good 60.1%

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 087014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.