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Giarre: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Giarre

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 Callipoli 1, Giarre.

Giarre, between the slopes of Etna and the Ionian Sea

Between the eastern slopes of Mount Etna and the Ionian coast, Giarre is the shopping town for an area that also includes Riposto, the seaside municipality with which it effectively forms a single town. The main street and the cathedral are the heart of the centre, surrounded by districts of apartment blocks and outlying villages scattered among citrus groves and vineyards climbing towards the volcano.

Transport links are good for the area. Giarre-Riposto station is on the Messina to Catania line, the town is also served by the Circumetnea, the narrow-gauge railway that circles the volcano, and the Messina to Catania motorway has a Giarre exit. Catania is about thirty kilometres away.

There were 26,508 residents at the end of 2023, down 5.7% on 2011. Giarre is older than the province of Catania as a whole: estimated average age 46.1 against 44.2, with 24.5% over 65 compared with 21.9%. Foreign nationals make up 4.9%, and declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Earthquakes should be the first question. On the Civil Protection scale Giarre is in zone 2, but expected ground acceleration in the built-up area reaches about 0.216 g, a high value, and 4 municipalities in the province are in zone 1. The eastern flank of Etna also has shallow quakes linked to the volcano, which can do serious damage over small areas. For any house, ask for the year of construction, the structural design and any work carried out.

When the volcano is active, ash often falls on the towns on this side, and roofs, terraces and gutters need clearing. The streams running down to the sea swell in storms, so the report checks landslide and flood maps for the address, and uses the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps. Winters are mild (climate zone C).

Key points

  • Between Etna and the sea, effectively one town with Riposto.
  • Messina to Catania railway, the Circumetnea line and a motorway exit.
  • Seismic zone 2, but high expected acceleration: about 0.216 g.
  • Population down 5.7% since 2011.

Overview

Giarre is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 26,508 residents, ranked 10 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Giarre is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (54 of 58) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.216 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Giarre, 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 5.7%. The estimated average age is 46 years, higher than the province average (44). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Giarre declared an average taxable income of 21,004 euros, in line with the province (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Giarre is in climate zone C, with 935 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 81 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Giarre has 39 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 20 grocery shops and supermarkets, 24 healthcare facilities, 23 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 1.5 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

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 21.5% of the land in Giarre, compared with 8.0% 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 medium. 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 Giarre; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Giarre: 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 Giarre 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 100 inhabited census areas in Giarre. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 10.1%
  • good 57.3%
  • very good 32.6%

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 087017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.