Palazzolo Acreide: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Siracusa, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Palazzolo Acreide
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 Roma 1, Palazzolo Acreide.
Palazzolo Acreide, Greek Akrai and Hyblaean Baroque
At almost 700 metres, Palazzolo Acreide is one of the highest towns in the province of Siracusa, and you feel it: it is in climate zone D, with cooler, damper winters than on the coast. On the hill above the town are the remains of Akrai, the colony founded by the Greeks of Syracuse, with its theatre and quarries. The Baroque centre, rebuilt after the great earthquake of the late seventeenth century, is part of the Val di Noto UNESCO site together with Noto, Ragusa, Modica and other towns.
For buyers, the old centre offers small palazzi and stone houses, often large and needing renovation, at prices far below those of the better-known Baroque towns. It is a common choice for people after a second home or moving from abroad. Siracusa and the sea are under an hour by road, and getting around means driving almost exclusively.
The town has lost many residents: Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 8,053 in 2023, against 9,091 in 2011, a fall of 11.4%. The estimated average age is 47.9, higher than the provincial 45.4, and over-65s make up 26.5%. Foreign residents account for 3.2%. Despite the decline, services remain good, with 10 places of education, above the provincial average per resident.
Earthquakes are the most serious issue. The Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile) places Palazzolo in seismic zone 1, the highest, like almost the whole province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.271 g. The stone houses of the centre were mostly built before any seismic code: have an engineer assess the building before you buy, and include the cost of any strengthening in your budget.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published and the report traces the plot from the address. On the flanks of the hill and towards the valleys, landslide hazard is checked for the individual address.
Key points
- Greek ruins of Akrai and a UNESCO-listed Baroque centre.
- Around 700 metres up, climate zone D, cooler winters than the coast.
- Population down 11.4% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected ground acceleration about 0.271 g.
Overview
Palazzolo Acreide is a municipality in the province of Siracusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 8,053 residents, ranked 14 of 21 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palazzolo Acreide 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 0.271 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Palazzolo Acreide, 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 11.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palazzolo Acreide declared an average taxable income of 19,304 euros, below the provincial average (20,509 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Palazzolo Acreide is in climate zone D, with 1,567 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 670 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palazzolo Acreide has 10 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 5 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 5.0% of the land in Palazzolo Acreide, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.0 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 contaminated sites in Palazzolo Acreide.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palazzolo Acreide: 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 Palazzolo Acreide 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 44 inhabited census areas in Palazzolo Acreide. 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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 089015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.