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Ispica: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ispica

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 Statale 1, Ispica.

Ispica, the Cava gorge, greenhouses and Santa Maria del Focallo

Caves, tombs and houses cut into the rock fill the Cava d'Ispica, a long limestone gorge that opens beside the town and was lived in for centuries. Ispica lies at the south-eastern tip of the province of Ragusa, on the border with the province of Siracusa, on a plateau that slopes towards the sea. Today's town was rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, which destroyed much of south-eastern Sicily, and its centre bears the Baroque stamp of that rebuilding.

Between the town and the coast the countryside is covered with greenhouses growing vegetables, and Ispica's early carrots carry the EU protected geographical indication (IGP). On the coast is the long beach of Santa Maria del Focallo, with holiday homes and villas used mostly in summer. If you buy by the sea, have a surveyor check that the house complies with planning rules and that its land registry records are in order before you sign; in town, old houses need checking above all for roofs and structure.

In 2023 there were 16,350 residents, up 8.1% on 2011, against the trend in many Sicilian towns. The estimated average age is 44.3, in line with the province (44.0); over-65s are 21.8% and foreign residents 11.6%.

The seventeenth-century earthquake still matters today. In the national classification by the Civil Protection department, Ispica is in seismic zone 2, like 6 other municipalities in the province, while 5 are in zone 1, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.145 g. For any purchase, ask for the design date and structural surveys, especially for stone buildings in the centre.

Along the edges of the gorge and side valleys the report checks gradient and landslide hazard, and on the coast and in low-lying areas, flood hazard. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the land registry maps, and the address leads to the plot.

Key points

  • The Cava d'Ispica, greenhouses and Santa Maria del Focallo beach.
  • 16,350 residents, up 8.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.145 g.
  • Seaside homes: check planning compliance before signing.

Overview

Ispica is a municipality in the province of Ragusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 16,350 residents, ranked 7 of 12 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ispica is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (7 of 12) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.145 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ispica, 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 grown by 8.1%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 11.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ispica declared an average taxable income of 17,357 euros, in line with the province (17,930 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ispica is in climate zone C, with 972 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 170 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ispica has 16 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 12.3% of the land in Ispica, compared with 10.6% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.9 hectares.

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 Ispica; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ispica: 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 Ispica 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 109 inhabited census areas in Ispica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 82 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.3%
  • fair 12.6%
  • good 6.8%
  • very good 80.3%

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 088005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.