Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Ciminna: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ciminna

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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Ciminna.

Ciminna, a hill town in the Palermo hinterland

Ciminna is a farming town in the hills south-east of Palermo, in a landscape of wheat fields, olive groves and pasture typical of inland Sicily. The town sits on a rise, with narrow streets, churches and stone and plaster houses climbing around the centre. Palermo is the reference point for work, hospitals and the university, but the drive takes a while, and living here means accepting the distance.

The housing market is the usual one for inland villages losing people: plenty of houses for sale, low prices and very mixed condition. Family homes shut for years may have damp, roofs needing replacement and old wiring and plumbing; before making an offer, have a surveyor look at the property and check that the planning paperwork is complete.

There were 3,354 residents in 2023, down 12.8% on the 2011 census. The population is older than average: the average age is 47.6 against 44.7 in the metropolitan area, and over-65s make up 29.5% against 22.8%. Foreign residents are few, 1.4%. Average declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Almost all of Palermo province is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, and Ciminna is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.134 g in the built-up area. In older masonry houses what matters is how walls and floors are tied together. For houses on the slopes, the report checks the official landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Farming town in the hills south-east of Palermo.
  • Residents down 12.8% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 29.5%, against 22.8% provincially.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.134 g.

Overview

Ciminna is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,354 residents, ranked 42 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ciminna is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.134 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ciminna, 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 12.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ciminna declared an average taxable income of 15,222 euros, below the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ciminna is in climate zone D, with 1,545 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 530 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ciminna has 5 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 3.8% of the land in Ciminna, compared with 5.7% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 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 Ciminna; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ciminna: 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 Ciminna 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 26 inhabited census areas in Ciminna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 80 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 17.9%
  • good 17.8%
  • very good 64.3%

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 082030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.