Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Mandanici: 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 Mandanici

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: Corso Mazzullo 1, Mandanici.

Mandanici, in the Pagliara valley in the Peloritani

Mandanici is a village in the Peloritani mountains, the range running along the north-eastern tip of Sicily, in the province of Messina. It lies in the valley of the Pagliara stream, which runs down to the Ionian coast, on a slope surrounded by woods and terraces, at around 400 metres.

Buyers here are halfway between mountains and sea: the Ionian coast is reached by following the valley down, while Messina is the reference city for hospital care, university and offices. Village houses are stone-built, packed together along narrow, climbing streets, sometimes with several owners in the same building. Before buying, have the notary trace the property's history and check the roof, walls and drains.

The population has shrunk: in 2023 there were 493 residents, down 21.6% on the 629 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 49.7 against 46.7 for the province; over-65s make up 31.6% and foreign residents 2.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average. The climate is mild, in zone C.

Mandanici is in seismic zone 1, the highest class on the Civil Protection department's national scale, like 17 of the 108 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.215 g in the built-up area. The Strait of Messina area has a significant seismic history: for a masonry house you need to know the construction date, how walls and floors are connected and whether any strengthening has been done.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report traces the land parcel from the address. In a steep valley with a stream at the bottom, landslides and floods have to be read from the official maps for the individual house.

Key points

  • Peloritani village in the Pagliara valley, on the Ionian side.
  • Population down 21.6% since 2011, over-65s at 31.6%.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.215 g.
  • Stone houses: check ownership history and structure.

Overview

Mandanici is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 493 residents, among the smallest in the province (104 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mandanici 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 0.215 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Mandanici, 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 21.6%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mandanici declared an average taxable income of 16,759 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mandanici is in climate zone C, with 1,339 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 417 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mandanici 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 3.1% of the land in Mandanici, 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 Mandanici.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mandanici: 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 Mandanici 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 7 inhabited census areas in Mandanici. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 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 083045. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.