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Malvagna: 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 Malvagna

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 Nuova 1, Malvagna.

Malvagna, above the Alcantara valley facing Etna

From the northern side of the Alcantara valley, Malvagna looks south across the valley towards Etna. The village sits at around seven hundred metres, inland in the province of Messina, with a compact centre and farmland running down towards the river. For wider services people drive to the valley towns and towards the Ionian coast.

The climate is zone D, cooler than on the coast but without the harsh winters of the mountains. Houses are mostly masonry, in the old centre often on several floors with sloping access. The report measures elevation and slope at the address and checks the official landslide and flood maps, which on hillsides and near streams have to be read plot by plot.

The village has lost many residents: 608 in 2023 against 794 in 2011, a fall of 23.4% according to Istat, the national statistics institute. The estimated average age is 51.4, against 46.7 in the province of Messina, and over-65s make up 31.9%, against 25.2%. Households are small, 1.85 people on average. Average declared income is below the provincial level.

Earthquake hazard is medium to high. Malvagna is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, like 91 of the 108 municipalities in the province, while the other 17 are in zone 1. Expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.199 g. Before buying an older house, ask when it was built and what structural work has been done, and have an engineer look at it.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Malvagna's cadastral maps, and the report traces the address to its land parcel and building.

Key points

  • Village above the Alcantara valley, facing Etna.
  • 608 residents, down 23.4% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 31.9%, against 25.2% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.199 g.

Overview

Malvagna is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 608 residents, among the smallest in the province (100 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Malvagna is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.199 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Malvagna, 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 23.4%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Malvagna declared an average taxable income of 15,785 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Malvagna is in climate zone D, with 1,840 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 710 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Malvagna has 2 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 3.6% of the land in Malvagna, 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

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Malvagna.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Malvagna: 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 Malvagna 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 4 inhabited census areas in Malvagna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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

ISTAT code 083044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.