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Ficarra: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ficarra

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 Matini 1, Ficarra.

Ficarra, Nebrodi hills above the Tyrrhenian coast

Ficarra sits in the Nebrodi hills that run down to the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Capo d'Orlando and Patti, with the sea in view and the coast a short drive away. The railway and the Messina to Palermo motorway follow the shoreline, and for people living here they are the link with Messina and the rest of Sicily. The village is a farming centre surrounded by olive groves, with its old core gathered on top and houses running down the slope.

The climate zone is C, with mild winters. Cold is rarely the problem with houses here; damp, leaks from the roof and the state of the structure in buildings left empty for years matter more.

In 2023 there were 1,283 residents, according to Istat, the national statistics office, 18.1% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 50.8 against 46.7 in the province of Messina, and over-65s are 33.4%, against 25.2%. Households have 2.00 members on average and foreign residents are 2.3%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Ficarra is in seismic zone 2, like 91 municipalities in the province; the other 17 are in zone 1, the highest. The expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.181 g. If you are buying a masonry house, ask for the year of construction and any documented strengthening work.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are available: the report goes from the address to the land parcel, measures the slope and checks landslides and flooding on the official maps, because conditions change between the ridge and the valleys below.

Key points

  • Farming village in the Nebrodi hills, looking over the Tyrrhenian.
  • Population down 18.1% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 33.4%, against 25.2% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.181 g.

Overview

Ficarra is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,283 residents, ranked 70 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ficarra is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.181 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ficarra, 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 18.1%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ficarra declared an average taxable income of 17,309 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ficarra is in climate zone C, with 1,396 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 450 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ficarra has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

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 5.4% of the land in Ficarra, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Ficarra.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ficarra: 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 Ficarra 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 19 inhabited census areas in Ficarra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 62.0%
  • good 38.0%

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

ISTAT code 083020. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.