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Favara: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Favara

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 Vittorio Veneto 1, Favara.

Favara, the Seven Courtyards and the hills east of Agrigento

Favara lies in the hills inland from Agrigento, at about 300 metres, east of the city and not far from the Valley of the Temples. It is a sizeable town that grew up around the Chiaramonte castle overlooking the main square, living on farming, building and the services of Agrigento, where many residents work.

For years the historic centre was left to decay, with empty houses and some at risk of collapse. The Farm Cultural Park project turned a cluster of old courtyards, the Sette Cortili, into a contemporary art centre that draws visitors from outside, and B&Bs, bars and a few renovations have followed. For a buyer, the centre offers houses at very low prices, often needing complete renovation, while outside the old core the town is made of apartment blocks and newer houses with parking and fewer stairs.

There were 31,515 residents in 2023, down 4.4% on 2011, a trend shared by many towns in inland Sicily. The population is younger than the province's, though: an average age of 43.9 against 45.6, with over-65s at 21.3% against 24.0%. Foreign nationals are few, 1.3%. Average incomes are in line with the province of Agrigento, slightly above it in fact.

The province has municipalities in all four seismic zones set by the Civil Protection Department, from zone 1 to zone 4. Favara is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.057 g, a low value. The sensitive point here is the older housing: stone and gypsum walls, floors replaced piecemeal, extra storeys added later. Before buying in the old centre, have a surveyor assess the structure before anyone prices the building work.

The hilly ground, partly clay and gypsum, makes some slopes unstable. The report checks landslide and flood hazard for the address and finds the plot on the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), which are published for Favara too.

Key points

  • Historic centre revived by the Farm Cultural Park project.
  • Cheap houses in the old centre, often needing full renovation.
  • Population down 4.4% since 2011, average age 43.9.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.057 g.

Overview

Favara is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 31,515 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 43).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Favara is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 12 of 43 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.057 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Favara declared an average taxable income of 18,682 euros, in line with the province (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Favara is in climate zone C, with 1,060 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 338 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Favara has 35 schools and 9 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 12 grocery shops and supermarkets, 18 healthcare facilities, 19 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.4 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 11.6% of the land in Favara, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Favara; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Favara: 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 Favara 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 1,354 inhabited census areas in Favara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 4.4%
  • good 36.8%
  • very good 58.8%

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

ISTAT code 084017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.