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Itala: 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 Itala

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 Roma 1, Itala.

Itala, between the Peloritani hills and the Ionian coast

On the Ionian side of the Peloritani mountains, south of Messina, Itala is split between the hill village, at around two hundred metres, and the part that runs down towards the sea and the coast road. They are two different ways of living in the same municipality: up the hill, tightly packed houses, alleys and views of Calabria; below, newer buildings and easier connections towards Messina and Taormina.

The climate is mild (climate zone C), and the land is made up of narrow valleys, the fiumare, seasonal torrents that drop steeply from the mountains to the sea. Buyers should look carefully at where a house sits in relation to the slopes and the stream beds: the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and measures the gradient of the ground.

There are 1,479 residents, down 11.1% since 2011. The average age is 46.8, in line with the province (46.7), and over-65s make up 25.1%. Foreign nationals are 3.0%.

Earthquakes are the point not to overlook. Itala is in seismic zone 1, the highest class on the Civil Protection scale, like 16 other municipalities in the province of Messina, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.247 g. The Strait of Messina has a long seismic history: before buying, ask when the building went up, whether it has had structural strengthening and to see its paperwork.

Everyday services are few, 13 recorded in all, so the report measures the real distance from the house to schools, pharmacies and shops.

Key points

  • Hill village on the Ionian side of the Peloritani.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.247 g.
  • 1,479 residents, down 11.1% since 2011.
  • Slopes and torrent beds: check the plot on official maps.

Overview

Itala is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,479 residents, ranked 64 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Itala is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 17 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.247 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Itala, 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 11.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Itala declared an average taxable income of 18,839 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Itala is in climate zone C, with 985 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 210 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Itala 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 5.3% of the land in Itala, 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

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 contaminated sites in Itala.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Itala: 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 Itala 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 14 inhabited census areas in Itala. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 49 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 53.2%
  • fair 46.8%

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 083036. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.