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Pantelleria: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pantelleria

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: Strada Perimetrale Est 1, Pantelleria.

Pantelleria, dammusi and volcanic land between Sicily and Tunisia

Closer to Tunisia than to Sicily, Pantelleria is a windswept volcanic island of lava-stone terraces, low-trained zibibbo vines, capers and the Specchio di Venere lake in its crater. Much of the island is a national park, and conservation rules weigh on any building project.

The traditional house is the dammuso: thick dry-stone walls and a white domed roof that collects rainwater, often with a walled garden and a cistern. Buying one means checking the state of the dome and its waterproofing, the cistern, access along dirt tracks and what a renovation can achieve within the park's rules. Many buyers want a second home; living here all year means relying on ferries and flights, and in winter the cost and time of travel add up.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,268 permanent residents, down 3.0% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 45.9, as in the province of Trapani, and over-65s make up 23.6%. Foreign residents account for 6.5%. There are 66 places to eat, 9.08 per 1,000 residents against 5.45 in the province, a sign of a summer economy.

In the Civil Protection classification Pantelleria is the only municipality in the province in seismic zone 4, the lowest, while the province has 6 municipalities in zone 1 and 18 in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.050 g. With the dry-stone walls of a dammuso, upkeep and visible cracks matter most.

Cadastral maps are published and the report goes from the address to the land parcel. In the countryside many addresses are vague, so check on site that the parcel shown really matches the dammuso for sale.

Key points

  • Volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia, largely a national park.
  • Only municipality in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Population down 3.0% since 2011.
  • 66 places to eat, a summer economy.

Overview

Pantelleria is a municipality in the province of Trapani, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,268 residents, ranked 15 of 25 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pantelleria is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. It is the only municipality in the province in zone 4.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 3.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pantelleria declared an average taxable income of 18,080 euros, in line with the province (18,927 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pantelleria is in climate zone B, with 717 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 5 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pantelleria has 11 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 5.2% of the land in Pantelleria, compared with 7.9% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Pantelleria.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pantelleria: 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 Pantelleria 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 80 inhabited census areas in Pantelleria. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.0%
  • fair 66.7%
  • good 28.3%

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 081014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.