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Merì: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Merì

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 Dante 1, Merì.

Merì, on the Tyrrhenian plain behind Milazzo

Merì is a small, compact municipality on the Tyrrhenian side of the province of Messina, on the plain that opens out between the Peloritani mountains and the gulf of Milazzo. Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto is right next door and in practice serves as the centre for shops, schools and services, while Milazzo, with its port for the Aeolian Islands, is a few minutes away by car.

The territory is small and largely built up, with terraced houses, small blocks and detached homes along the roads to the nearby towns, interspersed with vegetable plots and citrus groves. This is a place for everyday life, tied to jobs and services around Barcellona and Milazzo. In the low-lying parts near the streams coming down from the mountains, check the official flood maps, which the report reads for the address.

The population is young for the province. Istat, the national statistics institute, counts 2,309 residents in 2023, down 3.6% on 2011; the average age is 43.1, compared with 46.7 for the province, and foreign residents make up 7.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Merì is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department scale, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.168 g; some municipalities in the province are in zone 1. For a reinforced concrete building, ask for the year of design and whether it has been assessed, since the seismic rules have changed several times.

The climate is mild, climate zone B. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Small municipality on the plain behind the gulf of Milazzo.
  • Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and Milazzo a few minutes away.
  • Average age 43.1, lower than the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.168 g.

Overview

Merì is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,309 residents, ranked 50 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Merì is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.168 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Merì, 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 3.6%. The estimated average age is 43 years, lower than the province average (47). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 7.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Merì declared an average taxable income of 16,667 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Merì is in climate zone B, with 736 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 64 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Merì has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 healthcare facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

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 23.1% of the land in Merì, compared with 6.0% 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 medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Merì. 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 Merì: 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 Merì 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 6 inhabited census areas in Merì. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 1.1%
  • good 98.9%

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 083047. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.