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Mazzarrone: 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 Mazzarrone

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 Principe Umberto 1, Mazzarrone.

Mazzarrone, table grapes on the edge of the Ragusa area

In Mazzarrone the economy revolves around table grapes: vineyards covered with sheeting, known locally as tendoni, fill much of the countryside, and Mazzarrone grapes have their own protected geographical indication (IGP). The town stands at around 300 metres at the far south-western corner of the metropolitan city of Catania, towards the province of Ragusa, in low hills between Caltagirone and the Vittoria plain.

Buyers will find two-storey detached houses, often with ground-floor rooms used for farm work, recent blocks of flats and country homes near the vineyards. Catania is a long way off, so daily life leans towards Caltagirone and the towns of the Ragusa area. Average declared incomes are well below the metropolitan city average.

The population is holding steady: in 2023 there were 3,982 residents, almost as many as in 2011 (down 0.2%, according to Istat, the national statistics office). It is a young municipality, with an average age of 42.1 against 44.2 and over-65s at 19.5%. The share of foreign residents, 17.5%, is high and largely tied to farm work; households have 2.49 members on average.

Earthquake hazard should be taken seriously. Mazzarrone is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 54 municipalities in the Catania area, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.210 g, a medium-high value. For houses built in stages, with floors added over time, have the structure and planning compliance checked before signing a preliminary contract.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report finds the plot from the address. The climate is climate zone C, with mild winters and hot summers: insulation against heat and shading matter more than heating. Landslide and flood hazard depend on the exact spot and the report reads them from the official maps.

Key points

  • Home of IGP table grapes, towards the province of Ragusa.
  • Average age 42.1; foreign residents at 17.5%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected ground acceleration about 0.210 g.
  • Houses with added floors: check structure and compliance.

Overview

Mazzarrone is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,982 residents, ranked 47 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mazzarrone 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 0.210 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Mazzarrone, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 42 years, lower than the province average (44). 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 17.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mazzarrone declared an average taxable income of 12,160 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mazzarrone is in climate zone C, with 1,182 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 285 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mazzarrone has 6 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

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 5.4% of the land in Mazzarrone, 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

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 Mazzarrone.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mazzarrone: 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 Mazzarrone 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 36 inhabited census areas in Mazzarrone. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 25.8%
  • good 74.2%

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 087056. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.