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Messina: 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 Messina

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 Consolare Pompea 1, Messina.

Messina, a city rebuilt on the Strait

For many travellers, Messina is where Sicily begins: ferries shuttle constantly between the city and the Calabrian side of the Strait. Messina stretches for kilometres along the shore, squeezed between the sea and the Peloritani mountains. The earthquake of 28 December 1908, followed by a tsunami, all but destroyed it, and most of today's city was rebuilt after that date.

That history gives the seismic data real weight. Messina is in zone 1, the highest class, as are 16 other municipalities in the province; the remaining 91 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.25 g. When viewing a flat, the useful questions concern the year of construction, any structural work, the structural test certificate (collaudo) and, if someone has already assessed it, the building's seismic risk class.

The population has contracted: 217,959 residents in 2023, down from 243,262 in 2011, a fall of 10.4%. Messina is nonetheless the largest of the province's 108 municipalities, with 36.4% of its residents. The estimated average age is 46.5, and 25.1% of people are over 65. Foreign nationals make up 5.2%.

Overture's open map data count 224 education sites, 223 healthcare sites and 165 sports facilities. There are 859 cafés and restaurants, 3.9 per thousand residents, fewer than the provincial average, although the province also takes in resort areas such as Taormina and the Aeolian Islands.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report can get from an address to the land parcel. With streams, steep hills behind and a long coastal strip, landslide and flood risk cannot be summed up for the whole city: they are checked at the precise location.

Key points

  • Seismic zone 1, expected ground acceleration about 0.25 g.
  • 217,959 residents in 2023, down 10.4% since 2011.
  • Largest municipality in the province, with 36.4% of residents.
  • Cadastral maps available across the municipality.

Overview

Messina is the capital of the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 217,959 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 36% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Messina is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 17 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.247 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Messina, 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 10.4%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Messina declared an average taxable income of 24,025 euros, above the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Messina is in climate zone B, with 707 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Messina has 224 schools and 74 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 89 grocery shops and supermarkets, 223 healthcare facilities, 165 sports facilities and 30 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 17.1% of the land in Messina, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.6 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Messina, and 10 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 Messina: 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 Messina 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 1,551 inhabited census areas in Messina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.7%
  • fair 98.3%

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 083048. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.