Cattolica Eraclea: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Agrigento, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Garibaldi 1, Cattolica Eraclea.
Cattolica Eraclea, from the hills to the sea at Eraclea Minoa
In western Agrigento province, Cattolica Eraclea sits on high ground inland, at around 180 metres, and its territory runs down to the sea. On the coast is the archaeological site of Eraclea Minoa, with its theatre overlooking the sea and the white cliffs of Capo Bianco, not far from the mouth of the Platani river. Around the town the countryside is rolling hills of olives, vines, wheat and citrus.
The climate is mild (climate zone B), so heating costs little in winter. The town has basic services, while for hospital care, secondary schools and public offices people drive to Agrigento or Ribera. The market consists of multi-storey town houses, many empty for a long time, and summer homes towards the coast. If you buy a house that has been shut for years, budget for work on the roof, systems and damp.
Depopulation is severe: 3,273 residents in 2023, down 17.7% on 2011, or 702 people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 47.2 against 45.6 in the province of Agrigento, and over-65s are 25.7%. Foreign residents make up 5.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The municipality is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 26 others in the province, but the expected acceleration in the built-up area is low for that zone, about 0.065 g. It is still useful to know when the house was built and whether it has had structural work. The report checks slopes, landslides and flooding on the official maps for the address and identifies the cadastral parcel.
Key points
- Inland Agrigento, with the Eraclea Minoa coast.
- Down 17.7% since 2011, many empty houses.
- Mild climate, climate zone B.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.065 g.
Overview
Cattolica Eraclea is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,273 residents, ranked 26 of 43 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cattolica Eraclea is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (27 of 43) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.065 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Cattolica Eraclea, 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 17.7%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (46). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cattolica Eraclea declared an average taxable income of 15,328 euros, below the provincial average (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cattolica Eraclea is in climate zone B, with 849 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 180 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cattolica Eraclea has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.
There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 3.5% of the land in Cattolica Eraclea, compared with 5.8% 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 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 Cattolica Eraclea; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cattolica Eraclea: 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 Cattolica Eraclea 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 21 inhabited census areas in Cattolica Eraclea. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 2.3%
- good 89.9%
- very good 7.8%
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 084014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.