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Mascali: 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 Mascali

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 Siculo Orientale 2, Mascali.

Mascali, the town rebuilt between Etna and the Ionian Sea

In 1928 a lava flow from Etna wiped out the town of Mascali. It was rebuilt on a nearby site to an entirely new plan, with straight streets crossing at right angles around a large square and the main church, which is why the centre today looks orderly and unlike the other towns on the volcano's slopes.

The municipality runs from the eastern flanks of Etna down to the Ionian Sea, between Giarre and Fiumefreddo di Sicilia. On the coast is Fondachello, with holiday homes and many second homes, while inland hamlets such as Nunziata and Carrabba sit among citrus groves, vineyards and dry-stone walls of black lava. Catania is the city people rely on for work, the university and hospitals.

In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 14,401 residents, up 4.4% on 2011. The estimated average age of 44.0 is in line with the province of Catania, and over-65s are 19.4% against 21.9%. Households are small, 2.11 people on average, foreign residents 4.0%; declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Etna produces frequent shallow earthquakes that, even at moderate magnitude, can badly damage small areas. Mascali is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection scale; in the province, 4 municipalities are in zone 1 and 54 in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.219 g, a high value. For any house, get the year of construction, the structural design and details of any damage and repairs after recent tremors.

Volcanic hazard does not appear on landslide and flood maps, so for the higher areas it is worth asking the town hall about its civil protection plan. Near the coast and the streams the report checks flood-prone areas for the address, and the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps lead to the plot.

Key points

  • Grid-plan centre rebuilt after the 1928 lava flow.
  • Fondachello on the sea; inland hamlets among citrus and lava stone.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.219 g.
  • 14,401 residents, up 4.4% since 2011.

Overview

Mascali is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 14,401 residents, ranked 21 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mascali 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 0.219 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Mascali, 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 grown by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mascali declared an average taxable income of 18,495 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mascali is in climate zone B, with 869 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 18 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mascali has 11 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).

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 12.7% of the land in Mascali, 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 Mascali.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mascali: 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 Mascali 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 100 inhabited census areas in Mascali. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.9%
  • fair 26.2%
  • good 59.2%
  • very good 13.7%

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 087023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.