Gravina di Catania: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Gravina di Catania
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 Etnea 2, Gravina di Catania.
Gravina di Catania, on the slopes of Etna above the city
The streets of Gravina di Catania carry on from the northern districts of Catania without any visible break. The municipality sits on the lower slopes of Mount Etna, at just over three hundred metres, and in summer the height brings temperatures a little below the city's. It is mainly a residential town for people who work and study in Catania.
There is little open space. About half the land is covered by buildings and roads, with tall apartment blocks, detached houses and low-rise flats built during Catania's expansion up the mountain. Supermarkets number just 0.28 per 1,000 residents against 0.51 in the province, and cafés and restaurants are few too, so for the big weekly shop or an evening out people head into the city or to the shopping centres nearby. Average incomes are above the provincial average.
At the end of 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 25,317 residents, down 4.6% since 2011. The town is older than the province, with an average age of 45.8 against 44.2 and over-65s at 24.3% against 21.9%. Foreign nationals are very few, 1.1%.
Earthquakes are the main issue. Gravina is in zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.215 g, is among the highest in its class, and 4 municipalities in the province are in zone 1. The Etna area also has shallow earthquakes, weaker but able to cause damage near the epicentre, like the one at Fleri in 2018. For a flat, ask for the design date, structural calculations, the completion certificate (collaudo) and any vulnerability assessment.
With Etna active, volcanic ash now and then covers roofs, terraces and gutters, which need regular cleaning and upkeep. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is available and the report finds the plot from the address, with the landslide and flood maps for that spot.
Key points
- Residential town joined to Catania, on the slopes of Etna.
- Seismic zone 2, high expected acceleration: 0.215 g.
- Over-65s at 24.3%, against 21.9% in the province.
- Only 0.28 supermarkets per 1,000 residents.
Overview
Gravina di Catania is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 25,317 residents, ranked 11 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gravina di Catania 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 0.215 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Gravina di Catania, 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 4.6%. 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 1.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gravina di Catania declared an average taxable income of 22,851 euros, above the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Gravina di Catania is in climate zone C, with 1,202 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 355 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gravina di Catania has 18 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 17 healthcare facilities, 23 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 50.8% of the land in Gravina di Catania, 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
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Gravina di Catania.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gravina di Catania: 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 Gravina di Catania 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 86 inhabited census areas in Gravina di Catania. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 8.7%
- good 76.3%
- very good 15.0%
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 087019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.