Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Menfi: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Menfi

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 della Vittoria 1, Menfi.

Menfi, vineyards and beaches on Sicily's south-west coast

Menfi lies on the south-west coast of Sicily, between Sciacca and Selinunte, on a terrace just over a hundred metres above the sea. Almost all the surrounding countryside is planted with vines. This is one of the island's most important wine areas, with large cooperative wineries, and farming remains the backbone of the economy. The coast, with wide beaches and dunes, is a few kilometres away, and Porto Palo is the best-known seaside spot.

The town's recent history was shaped by the 1968 Belice earthquake, which hit Menfi and the neighbouring towns hard. Part of the town was rebuilt with new houses and districts, so older buildings stand alongside construction from the 1970s and 1980s. Holiday buyers look to the coast; those living here year-round often choose the residential areas around the centre. Supermarkets number 1.69 per 1,000 residents, far more than the provincial average.

Istat, the national statistics institute, counts 11,834 residents in 2023, down 6.9% on 2011. The estimated average age is 46.4, above the province of Agrigento, and over-65s make up 25.7%. Foreign residents are 3.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Menfi is in seismic zone 1, the most hazardous class, which only 3 municipalities in the province of Agrigento share. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.157 g. Before buying, find out whether the building was built or rebuilt after 1968 to earthquake-resistant standards, and ask for the structural design and the sign-off certificate.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are available. Along the coast, beach erosion and the low ground near river mouths deserve attention, and the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address.

Key points

  • Wine town between Sciacca and Selinunte, beaches at Porto Palo.
  • Seismic zone 1, shared by 3 municipalities in the province.
  • Expected acceleration about 0.157 g: the building's age matters.
  • Population down 6.9% since 2011.

Overview

Menfi is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 11,834 residents, ranked 10 of 43 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Menfi is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 3 of 43 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.157 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Menfi, 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 6.9%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Menfi declared an average taxable income of 16,653 euros, below the provincial average (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Menfi is in climate zone B, with 825 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 119 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Menfi has 12 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 20 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities and 6 sports facilities.

There are 1.7 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 6.8% of the land in Menfi, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.3 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 no open contaminated sites in Menfi; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Menfi: 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 Menfi 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 79 inhabited census areas in Menfi. 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 084023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.