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Motta d'Affermo: 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 Motta d'Affermo

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 Castelli 1, Motta d'Affermo.

Motta d'Affermo, from the hill village to Torremuzza by the sea

The municipality of Motta d'Affermo has two sides. The village itself stands on a hill, above 600 metres, looking out over the Tyrrhenian Sea, while the hamlet of Torremuzza lies down on the coast. Buyers here choose between two different ways of living: the old centre up the hill, with its steep streets, or the strip near the sea, handier for getting along the coast between Palermo and Messina.

The checks to make differ too. On the hill, gradient, access and the state of old masonry houses matter; near the sea, the streams coming down from the hills and the distance from the road and railway. The report reads landslide and flood hazard for the address on the official maps, with no averages for the municipality.

In 2023 there were 654 residents, 174 fewer than the 828 of 2011, a fall of 21.0%. The average age is 52.1, against 46.7 in the province of Messina, and over-65s make up 35.6% of residents, compared with 25.2%. Foreign residents are 1.4%. Average declared income is below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk should be taken seriously. In the province of Messina, 17 municipalities are in seismic zone 1 and 91 in zone 2; Motta d'Affermo is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.180 g. For a masonry house, ask for the year of construction, any structural work with its permits, and an engineer's check.

The municipality is in heating zone D. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report traces the land parcel and the building from the address.

Key points

  • Hill village above the Tyrrhenian, Torremuzza hamlet on the coast.
  • 654 residents, down 21.0% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 35.6%, against 25.2% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.180 g.

Overview

Motta d'Affermo is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 654 residents, among the smallest in the province (97 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Motta d'Affermo 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 0.180 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Motta d'Affermo, 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 21.0%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Motta d'Affermo declared an average taxable income of 16,774 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Motta d'Affermo is in climate zone D, with 1,755 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 660 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Motta d'Affermo has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

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 5.6% of the land in Motta d'Affermo, 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 no contaminated sites in Motta d'Affermo.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Motta d'Affermo: 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 Motta d'Affermo 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 8 inhabited census areas in Motta d'Affermo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 27.8%
  • fair 2.2%
  • good 69.9%

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 083059. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.