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Grotte: 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 Grotte

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 Cavour 2, Grotte.

Grotte, a hill village in inland Agrigento

Coming to Grotte from Agrigento, the road climbs inland through hills of wheat and almond trees to a village at around 500 metres, next to Racalmuto, the home town of the writer Leonardo Sciascia. Like its neighbours, Grotte long lived partly from sulphur mines, closed for decades now, and then from emigration to northern Italy and abroad.

That movement shows in the figures. At the end of 2023 there were 5,141 residents, 12.0% fewer than in 2011, and over-65s make up 26.9%, against 24.0% for the province. Foreign residents account for 2.3%, and households average 2.38 people.

For buyers this means a market with many empty family houses, often masonry and in need of renovation, and few recent buildings. Before buying, have the roof, floors and damp checked, and ask whether the house complies with building permits, because in the old centres of inland Sicily it is not unusual to find extensions that were never registered. Anyone looking for a holiday home, or a house in the family's home village, will find roomy houses, but services are those of a small place, and for the hospital and many offices people go to Agrigento or larger towns.

Grotte is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, like 11 other municipalities around Agrigento, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.061 g. For an old stone building a check on how walls and floors are tied together is still worthwhile, especially if the house has stood empty for years.

The hills of inland Sicily are often clay, and ground movement should not be overlooked: the report checks the landslide hazard maps for the exact address. The cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are published.

Key points

  • Hill village next to Racalmuto, inland from Agrigento.
  • 5,141 residents, down 12.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.061 g.
  • Many masonry houses to renovate: check the roof and the permits.

Overview

Grotte is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,141 residents, ranked 22 of 43 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Grotte 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 0.061 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 12.0%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Grotte declared an average taxable income of 17,957 euros, in line with the province (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Grotte is in climate zone C, with 1,314 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 516 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Grotte has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities 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 7.4% of the land in Grotte, compared with 5.8% 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 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 contaminated sites in Grotte.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Grotte: 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 Grotte 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 18 inhabited census areas in Grotte. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 4.3%
  • good 95.7%

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 084018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.