Marineo: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Palermo, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Marineo
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 Agrigento 1, Marineo.
Marineo, below the Rocca in the hills south of Palermo
Coming from Palermo, you recognise Marineo by the Rocca, the limestone crag that rises straight behind the houses. The town stands at around five hundred metres in the valley of the Eleuterio, among farmed hills and pasture, and to the south-west begin the Ficuzza woods and the ridge of Rocca Busambra.
In the centre is the castle associated with the Beccadelli Bologna family, long the local feudal lords. Today Marineo is a farming and residential town, and many people commute to Palermo by car along the main road into the city. The drive takes under an hour, but rush-hour traffic at the city end adds time, so it is worth trying it before you decide.
Houses in the old town are built on the slope, with steep streets and little parking; newer areas are lower down. Winters are colder than on the coast (climate zone D), and heating is a real household cost. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 6,054 residents in 2023, 725 fewer than in 2011 (-10.7%). Average age is 45.5, 24.4% are over 65 against 22.8% in the province, and foreign nationals are 1.4%.
Almost the whole province of Palermo is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department classification: 81 of its 82 municipalities, Marineo included. Expected ground acceleration in the town is about 0.159 g. For a masonry building on a slope, ask whether floors and wall connections have been strengthened and ask to see the permits.
Below the Rocca and on the clay slopes of the valley there can be landslides and falling rocks; the report checks the official maps and the ground gradient for the address. Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are published, and average incomes are below the provincial level.
Key points
- Town below the Rocca, in the Eleuterio valley.
- Commuting to Palermo by car along the main road.
- 6,054 residents in 2023, down 10.7% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, like 81 municipalities in the province.
Overview
Marineo is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 6,054 residents, ranked 29 of 82 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Marineo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.159 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Marineo, 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 10.7%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Marineo declared an average taxable income of 18,475 euros, below the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Marineo is in climate zone D, with 1,522 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 531 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Marineo has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 1.3 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 5.3% of the land in Marineo, compared with 5.7% 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 low. 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 Marineo.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Marineo: 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 Marineo 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 28 inhabited census areas in Marineo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 5.4%
- good 94.6%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 082046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.