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Montalbano Elicona: 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 Montalbano Elicona

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 Federico Secondo D'Aragona 1, Montalbano Elicona.

Montalbano Elicona, the castle between Nebrodi and Peloritani

At more than nine hundred metres, inland from the Tyrrhenian coast of the province of Messina, Montalbano Elicona clusters around its medieval castle, which towers over the village. This is the transition between two Sicilian mountain ranges, the Nebrodi and the Peloritani, with woods, high plateaus and pasture, and the sea visible in the distance.

The old village is made up of stone houses along steep lanes, many restored in recent years. Buyers here are often looking for a summer home or somewhere to spend long spells away from the heat of the coast; those who live here all year drive down to the coastal towns for work and services, on winding mountain roads. The village has 2 pharmacies and 3 school sites, and 18 places to eat, a lot for a village this size.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,065 residents in 2023, down 14.7% on 2011. The average age is 49.1 (province: 46.7), 30.1% are over 65 and 7.0% are foreign nationals. Declared incomes are low, below the average for the province of Messina.

The province of Messina is among the most earthquake-prone in Italy. Montalbano is in seismic zone 2, like 90 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of 0.201 g. For a stone house in the village, it matters whether the restoration included seismic upgrading.

Winters are cold and it can snow. On slopes as steep as these, check the parcel against the official landslide maps: the report finds it on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps, starting from the address.

Key points

  • Mountain village below its medieval castle.
  • Many homes used in summer, away from the coastal heat.
  • Population down 14.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.201 g.

Overview

Montalbano Elicona is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,065 residents, ranked 55 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montalbano Elicona 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 0.201 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Montalbano Elicona, 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 14.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 7.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montalbano Elicona declared an average taxable income of 15,614 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Montalbano Elicona is in climate zone E, with 2,200 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 920 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montalbano Elicona has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 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 2.6% of the land in Montalbano Elicona, 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

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Montalbano Elicona. 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 Montalbano Elicona: 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 Montalbano Elicona 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 24 inhabited census areas in Montalbano Elicona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 33.9%
  • good 66.1%

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 083057. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.