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Catania: what to know before buying a home

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

Search for an address in Catania

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 Dante 7, Milan.

Catania, Baroque city beneath Etna

Catania lives in the shadow of Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, on Sicily's Ionian coast. After the earthquake of 1693 it was rebuilt in Baroque style, making heavy use of dark lava stone, and its centre belongs to the Val di Noto UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its port, university, retail and a business base spread across the surrounding plain, it is one of southern Italy's economic hubs.

Unlike almost every other provincial capital in Sicily, Catania has not lost residents. It had 298,680 in 2023, 1.6% more than the 293,902 counted at the 2011 census, and accounts for 27.9% of the population of its 58-municipality province. The estimated average age is about 45; 23.2% of residents are over 65, above the provincial figure of 21.9%, as the surrounding towns are younger than the city itself. Households average 2.23 people.

The city's history makes earthquake risk anything but abstract. Catania is in seismic zone 2, as are 54 municipalities in the province, while four are in zone 1. Yet the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.205 g, which is high. A buyer should be clear about when the building was constructed, under which rules, and whether it has had any seismic improvement work.

Services are those of a big city. Overture counts 308 healthcare sites, close to double the provincial rate per resident, 282 education sites, 101 officially registered pharmacies and 1,440 cafés and restaurants. Recorded green spaces, at 24, are proportionally fewer than the provincial average.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report gets to the sheet and parcel number (foglio and particella) from the address. Landslide and flood hazard, between the hillside districts and the coastal area, is not judged for Catania as a whole but for each individual address.

Key points

  • 298,680 residents in 2023, up 1.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2 with high expected ground acceleration: about 0.205 g.
  • Healthcare sites per resident close to double the provincial rate.
  • Baroque centre within the Val di Noto UNESCO site.

Overview

Catania is the capital of the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 298,680 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 28% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Catania 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 0.205 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Catania, 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Catania.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 1.6%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Catania has 282 schools and 101 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 114 grocery shops and supermarkets, 308 healthcare facilities, 244 sports facilities and 24 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Catania: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 087015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.