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Mazzarino: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Mazzarino

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 Vittorio Emanuele 1, Mazzarino.

Mazzarino, inland hills between Caltanissetta and Gela

Winters in Mazzarino are colder than most people expect of Sicily: the town stands at around 550 metres in the hills of the interior, in the southern part of the province of Caltanissetta, between the provincial capital and the coast at Gela. The old centre keeps its churches and noble mansions along steep streets, surrounded by wheat fields, vineyards and pasture.

Like many inland Sicilian towns, Mazzarino is emptying. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,819 residents in 2023, 1,514 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 12.3%. As across the interior, those leaving are mostly young people. The estimated average age is 45.6, similar to the provincial 45.2, and over-65s are 23.2%. Few foreign residents live here, 2.2%. Average declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

For buyers, a falling population means plenty of empty houses for sale in the old centre, at low prices. The catch is their condition: roofs, timber floors, wiring, plumbing and damp often need serious work, which should be costed with a surveyor before making an offer. There are few supermarkets for the population, so for many purchases people drive to larger towns.

For earthquakes, this part of Sicily is less exposed than others. In the province of Caltanissetta 4 municipalities are in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification and the other 18, Mazzarino included, in zone 3; the expected acceleration here is about 0.081 g. In masonry houses in the centre, what matters is how well walls and floors are tied together.

The clay hills of the interior are prone to landslides, and the town is built on a rise with steep sides. The report measures elevation and gradient at the address and checks the official hazard maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so an address leads to its plot.

Key points

  • Hill town at around 550 metres, between Caltanissetta and Gela.
  • 10,819 residents, 1,514 fewer than in 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.081 g.
  • Cheap houses in the old centre, often needing major work.

Overview

Mazzarino is a municipality in the province of Caltanissetta, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 10,819 residents, ranked 5 of 22 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mazzarino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (18 of 22) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.081 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 12.3%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mazzarino declared an average taxable income of 18,005 euros, below the provincial average (19,090 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mazzarino is in climate zone D, with 1,544 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 553 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mazzarino has 8 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities and 5 sports facilities.

There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 1.9% of the land in Mazzarino, compared with 4.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Mazzarino, and 3 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mazzarino: 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 Mazzarino 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 65 inhabited census areas in Mazzarino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 4.6%
  • good 30.0%
  • very good 65.5%

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 085009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.