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Noto: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Noto

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 Giovanni Aurispa 1, Noto.

Noto, the Baroque town and the Vendicari coast

The Noto you see today was born after the earthquake of 1693, which destroyed the old town on Monte Alveria. It was rebuilt further down the valley with a regular street plan and Baroque churches and palaces in pale stone, and the historic centre is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto. The municipality is very large and runs down to the sea, taking in Lido di Noto, other beaches and the Vendicari nature reserve.

Buying in Noto means choosing between quite different markets. In the historic centre you find small palazzi and stone houses under heritage protection: work has to be agreed with the Soprintendenza, the state heritage office, and restoration is expensive. On the coast holiday homes and villas dominate, often let to tourists, while the countryside has farmhouses (masserie) and scattered houses among almond and citrus trees. Tourism shows in the figures too: there are 194 cafés and restaurants, far above the provincial rate per resident.

Here earthquakes are part of the town's story. Noto is in seismic zone 1, like 16 other municipalities in the province of Syracuse, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.202 g. In 1996 the cathedral dome collapsed and was later rebuilt, a reminder of how much the state of masonry matters in historic buildings. For a purchase in the centre, ask first for engineering reports, a record of works and the condition of roofs and vaults.

Unlike many Sicilian towns, Noto is not losing people: at the end of 2023 there were 24,412 residents, up 3.0% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 44.2, a little under the provincial 45.4, and foreign nationals make up 3.8%.

Near the coast and along the streams coming down from the Hyblaean hills, flood hazard should be checked for the exact address, as should landslides on the slopes around the town. The report does this on the official maps and finds the land parcel on the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Baroque centre rebuilt after 1693, part of a UNESCO site.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.202 g.
  • 24,412 residents, up 3.0% since 2011.
  • A coast of holiday homes and tourist lets, down to Vendicari.

Overview

Noto is a municipality in the province of Siracusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 24,412 residents, ranked 4 of 21 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Noto is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 21) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.202 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Noto, 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 3.0%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Noto declared an average taxable income of 19,103 euros, below the provincial average (20,509 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Noto is in climate zone C, with 952 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 152 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Noto has 23 schools and 8 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 23 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 16 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 5.6% of the land in Noto, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.4 hectares.

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 open contaminated sites in Noto; 6 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Noto: 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 Noto 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 198 inhabited census areas in Noto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.5%
  • fair 99.5%

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 089013. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.