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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.

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 Dante 7, Milan.

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 about 46 and a half, and 25.1% of people are over 65, almost two points above the Sicilian average. Foreign nationals make up 5.2%.

Overture's open map data count 224 education sites, 159 healthcare sites and 168 sports facilities. There are 793 cafés and restaurants, 3.6 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Messina.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

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.

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, 159 healthcare facilities, 168 sports facilities and 27 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Messina: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

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