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Racalmuto: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Racalmuto

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 Garibaldi 1, Racalmuto.

Racalmuto, Sciascia's town of sulphur and salt

Racalmuto is where the writer Leonardo Sciascia was born; he described it under the name Regalpetra and is buried here. It lies inland in the province of Agrigento, in Sicily, at around four hundred and fifty metres, between Agrigento and Canicattì, in open hills farmed with wheat, olives and almonds. The centre has a Chiaramonte castle, baroque churches and a nineteenth-century theatre; for generations the ground beneath it was mined for sulphur and rock salt, and salt extraction still goes on.

The market is typical of inland Sicilian towns: many houses in the old centre, often large, on several floors and needing work, put up for sale by families who emigrated, at very low prices. If you are buying to move here or to spend the warm months, weigh up the condition of roofs and floors, the wiring and plumbing, and the distance to services: hospitals and secondary schools are in Canicattì or Agrigento, by car. Winters are mild and summers hot (climate zone C).

The fall in population is marked. At the end of 2023 there were 7,484 residents, against 8,345 in 2011, down 10.3% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 45.5, practically the same as 45.6 for the province, over-65s make up 24.2%, and foreign residents only 3.1%. Declared incomes are low, slightly below the Agrigento average.

Earthquake hazard varies across the province of Agrigento: 27 municipalities are in zone 2 and 3 in zone 1 of the Civil Protection Department's scale. Racalmuto is one of the 12 in zone 3, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.061 g, a low value. In old houses of stone and gypsum, though, the state of the walls and of timber floors, often altered over time, still matters.

Old mine workings and the clay soils of the hills make it worth checking the ground under the exact address. The report checks landslide hazard and slope, and traces the plot using the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Birthplace of Leonardo Sciascia, between Agrigento and Canicattì.
  • Residents down 10.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.061 g.
  • Old houses at low prices, often needing renovation.

Overview

Racalmuto is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,484 residents, ranked 14 of 43 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Racalmuto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 12 of 43 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.061 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 10.3%. 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 3.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Racalmuto declared an average taxable income of 16,820 euros, below the provincial average (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Racalmuto is in climate zone C, with 1,389 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 445 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Racalmuto has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.

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 6.4% of the land in Racalmuto, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.1 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 Racalmuto; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Racalmuto: 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 Racalmuto 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 45 inhabited census areas in Racalmuto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 9.5%
  • good 43.4%
  • very good 47.1%

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 084029. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.