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Pagliara: 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 Pagliara

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 Risorgimento 1, Pagliara.

Pagliara, a Peloritani village on the Ionian side

On the Ionian side of the Peloritani mountains, between Messina and Taormina, narrow valleys run down to the sea, and Pagliara lies in one of them, just inland from the coast. The village is built on the sides of the valley, with a compact centre and terraced plots of olives and scrub. The Ionian coast, with its railway and coastal road, is close, and Messina is the main city of reference.

The population is falling only moderately. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,116 residents in 2023, down 9.3% on 2011, and the estimated average age of 46.7 matches the provincial 46.7. Over-65s make up 26.0% and foreign residents 4.3%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the first issue for buyers. The Civil Protection Department places Pagliara in seismic zone 1, the highest, like 17 of the 108 municipalities in the province of Messina, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.239 g. Before buying a masonry or concrete house, you need the year of construction, any structural checks and work with their permits and, if these are missing, an engineer's assessment.

The second issue is the ground. In a narrow valley with steep sides and a stream at the bottom, landslide and flood hazard varies from place to place: the report reads both for the address on the official maps and measures the gradient, as well as distances to the pharmacy, school and shops.

The climate is zone C, with mild winters. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report finds the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Peloritani valley on the Ionian side, between Messina and Taormina.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.239 g.
  • Average age 46.7, the same as the province.
  • Slopes and stream: landslide and flood hazard to check.

Overview

Pagliara is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,116 residents, ranked 78 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pagliara is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 17 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.239 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pagliara, 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 9.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pagliara declared an average taxable income of 17,642 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pagliara is in climate zone C, with 968 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 200 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pagliara has 2 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 3.4% of the land in Pagliara, 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 Pagliara.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pagliara: 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 Pagliara 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 9 inhabited census areas in Pagliara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 083065. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.