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Linguaglossa: 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 Linguaglossa

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, Linguaglossa.

Linguaglossa, the pine forest town on Etna's north side

On the north-eastern flank of Etna, at about five hundred and fifty metres, Linguaglossa is the town from which the road climbs to Piano Provenzana, the ski station and starting point for excursions towards the craters. The road runs through the large pine forest that covers the volcano's slopes above the town. The Circumetnea railway, the narrow-gauge line that loops around Etna, has a station here.

Around the town are vineyards and orchards on terraces of lava stone, and in recent years Etna wines have brought new wineries and visitors. The centre is built of dark lava stone, with village houses often on several floors. If you plan to live here all year, allow for winters that are cold by Sicilian standards and for mountain roads; with a country house, check access, water and the boundaries of the land.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,055 residents in 2023, down 6.7% on 2011. The average age is 46.0, against 44.2 in the Catania metropolitan area, over-65s make up 23.6% and foreign residents 5.0%. Households have 2.36 people on average.

On Etna earthquakes are frequent and often shallow, linked to the volcano and the faults on its flanks. The Civil Protection Department places Linguaglossa in seismic zone 2, like 53 other municipalities in the province, while 4 are in zone 1; the expected ground acceleration is about 0.216 g. For lava stone houses, have an engineer check walls, floors and the joints between parts built at different times. After lava fountains, ash settles on roofs and gutters, which need keeping clear.

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps and the report identifies the land parcel. Slope and landslide hazard are read for the address.

Key points

  • North side of Etna, gateway to Piano Provenzana and the pine forest.
  • Circumetnea railway station, vineyards on lava terraces.
  • 5,055 residents, down 6.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.216 g.

Overview

Linguaglossa is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 5,055 residents, ranked 42 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Linguaglossa 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 Linguaglossa, 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 6.7%. 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 5.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Linguaglossa declared an average taxable income of 17,962 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Linguaglossa is in climate zone D, with 1,760 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 550 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Linguaglossa has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 5 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 3.9% of the land in Linguaglossa, 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 Linguaglossa.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Linguaglossa: 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 Linguaglossa 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 23 inhabited census areas in Linguaglossa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 16.8%
  • good 71.9%
  • very good 11.3%

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 087021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.