Mirabella Imbaccari: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Mirabella Imbaccari
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 Principi di Biscari 1, Mirabella Imbaccari.
Mirabella Imbaccari, the lace-making town near Caltagirone
In the hills of inland Sicily, between Caltagirone and Piazza Armerina, Mirabella Imbaccari is known for its bobbin lace (tombolo), made by hand by the town's women for generations. The centre stands at around five hundred metres, surrounded by arable land and olive groves.
This is a town that is emptying. In 2023 there were 4,233 residents, down 18.5% on 2011: 958 fewer people in little more than a decade. The average age is 48.7, well above the province of Catania (44.2), and over-65s make up 30.4% against 21.9%. Foreign residents account for 3.4%. Average declared incomes are well below the provincial average.
For buyers this means plenty of old houses on offer in the centre, often shut up for years. Before signing, have the roof, floors, damp and wiring and plumbing checked, and make sure what has been built matches the plans filed with the town council and the land registry. For the hospital and main services, the reference town is Caltagirone.
The province of Catania has 4 municipalities in seismic zone 1 and 54 in zone 2, including Mirabella Imbaccari, under the classification set by Italy's Civil Protection Department. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.125 g. In masonry houses with floors added over time, this is the first thing to have an engineer assess.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report finds the plot from the address. On the clay slopes of the interior, landslide hazard changes from one spot to the next and is read for the individual address.
Key points
- Hill town near Caltagirone, known for its bobbin lace.
- Down 18.5% since 2011, over-65s at 30.4%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected ground acceleration about 0.125 g.
- Many old houses in the centre: check roofs, floors and paperwork.
Overview
Mirabella Imbaccari is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,233 residents, ranked 45 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mirabella Imbaccari 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 0.125 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Mirabella Imbaccari, 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 18.5%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (44). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mirabella Imbaccari declared an average taxable income of 14,621 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Mirabella Imbaccari is in climate zone D, with 1,430 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 518 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mirabella Imbaccari has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.
There are 0.2 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 7.6% of the land in Mirabella Imbaccari, 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 Mirabella Imbaccari.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mirabella Imbaccari: 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 Mirabella Imbaccari 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 22 inhabited census areas in Mirabella Imbaccari. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 3.0%
- good 60.7%
- very good 36.3%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 087028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.