Chiaramonte Gulfi: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Ragusa, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Chiaramonte Gulfi
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 Mortilla 1, Chiaramonte Gulfi.
Chiaramonte Gulfi, the high town of the Hyblaean hills
Chiaramonte Gulfi is built at over six hundred metres, and on clear days the view reaches the plain of Vittoria and the sea. It is one of the highest towns in the province of Ragusa, on the last spurs of the Monti Iblei (the Hyblaean Mountains), surrounded by olive groves and farmland. Olive oil is what the town is best known for, along with its tradition of pork products.
The municipality drops steeply from the town towards the plain, and the options for buyers change with it. Up top is the historic centre, with steep streets, tightly packed houses and old palazzi in need of restoration; further down, in the hamlet of Roccazzo and the rural districts, there are scattered houses, villas and farmland. Ragusa, Comiso and Vittoria are within driving distance, and most residents work in the nearby towns or in farming.
There were 7,981 residents in 2023, down 3.0% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 45.9, against 44.0 in the province, and over-65s make up 23.9%, more than the provincial 21.5%. Foreign residents account for 11.5%, a high share for a hill town. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Earthquakes are the point to look at most carefully. Chiaramonte Gulfi is in seismic zone 1, the highest band in the national classification, like 5 of the 12 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.239 g. For a stone or brick house in the old centre, ask a surveyor how the structure is built, whether it has been strengthened, and whether it leans on weaker neighbouring buildings.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, and the report traces the plot from the address. On the steep slopes below the town, landslides and gradient are checked for the exact spot, not as an average for the municipality.
Key points
- Hill town in the Hyblaean Mountains, with hamlets down towards the plain.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.239 g.
- Population down 3.0% since 2011; over-65s at 23.9%.
- Steep slopes: check landslides and gradient by address.
Overview
Chiaramonte Gulfi is a municipality in the province of Ragusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,981 residents, among the smallest in the province (10 of 12).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Chiaramonte Gulfi is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 5 of 12 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.239 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Chiaramonte Gulfi, 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 3.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, higher than the province average (44). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 11.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Chiaramonte Gulfi declared an average taxable income of 15,607 euros, below the provincial average (17,930 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Chiaramonte Gulfi is in climate zone D, with 1,565 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 668 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Chiaramonte Gulfi has 8 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 6.2% of the land in Chiaramonte Gulfi, compared with 10.6% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.0 hectares.
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 Chiaramonte Gulfi; 4 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Chiaramonte Gulfi: 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 Chiaramonte Gulfi 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 59 inhabited census areas in Chiaramonte Gulfi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.0%
- fair 95.0%
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 088002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.