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Nicolosi: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Nicolosi

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 Etnea 1, Nicolosi.

Nicolosi, on the southern slopes of Etna

The road up to the Rifugio Sapienza and the summit craters of Mount Etna starts in Nicolosi. The town lies on the volcano's southern flank at around seven hundred metres, and just above the houses rise the Monti Rossi, the cones formed in the eruption of 1669, now covered in pine woods. Catania is below, about twenty kilometres away.

Nicolosi leads a double life. For many it is a residential suburb of Catania, cooler in summer, with detached houses and gardens built on old lava; for others it is the base for trips up Etna, which is why Overture Maps records 11.20 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 4.21 in the province. Winters are cold and it sometimes snows, which matters for heating.

The population is growing: 7,587 residents at the end of 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, up 6.0% since 2011, with an average age of 44.2, the same as the province (44.2). Foreign residents make up 3.6%, and declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Earthquakes on Etna have their own character. Besides the large earthquakes of eastern Sicily, there are shallow tremors linked to the volcano and its faults, which can cause damage over very small areas. Nicolosi is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.225 g. Before buying, ask for the structural design and check whether the building has been damaged or repaired after recent tremors.

The volcano itself is the other factor. Historic lava flows have reached this altitude, and ash that falls during eruptions has to be cleared from roofs and gutters, so check the state of the roof. The report checks slope, landslide and flood hazard for the address and, with the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps, identifies the plot.

Key points

  • Southern slopes of Etna, around seven hundred metres up, below the Monti Rossi.
  • Population up 6.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.225 g.
  • Volcanic ash and cold winters: roofs and heating matter.

Overview

Nicolosi is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,587 residents, ranked 36 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Nicolosi 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 0.225 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Nicolosi, 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 grown by 6.0%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Nicolosi declared an average taxable income of 22,121 euros, above the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Nicolosi is in climate zone D, with 1,663 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 700 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Nicolosi has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).

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 7.2% of the land in Nicolosi, 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

Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Nicolosi. 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 Nicolosi: 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 Nicolosi 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 25 inhabited census areas in Nicolosi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 17.4%
  • good 43.6%
  • very good 38.9%

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 087031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.