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Raffadali: 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 Raffadali

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 Porta Palermo 1, Raffadali.

Raffadali, a farming town in the hills inland from Agrigento

Raffadali is a large farming town in the hills inland from Agrigento, at around four hundred metres, surrounded by almond trees, olive groves, vineyards and wheat fields. The town is compact, built on a slope, with the newer districts on its edges. Agrigento, with its jobs, offices and hospital, is about twenty minutes away by car, and the coast is at a similar distance.

As in many towns in inland Sicily, emigration has left its mark. Plenty of families have relatives in northern Italy or abroad, and in the centre it is common to find empty or inherited houses, sold cheaply but often in need of work. If you buy one of these, budget for the roof, wiring, plumbing and damp, and check that there are no unauthorised alterations waiting to be regularised. Newer areas offer small blocks and detached houses with garages.

In 2023 there were 11,877 residents, 7.5% fewer than in 2011, a loss of 960 people, according to Istat, the national statistics institute. The estimated average age, 45.6, matches the province, and over-65s are 24.2%. Foreign residents make up 4.4%. Declared incomes are a little above the provincial average, which is among the lowest in the country.

Raffadali is classed in seismic zone 2, like 26 other municipalities in the province, although the ground acceleration expected in the built-up area, as estimated by INGV (the national institute of geophysics and volcanology), is low, around 0.061 g. The classification matters for building rules and for tax relief on structural work, so before buying ask for the structural design and the year of construction.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are published. On the clay hills around Agrigento landslides are frequent and vary from slope to slope, and the report checks them for the address.

Key points

  • Hill farming town, about twenty minutes from Agrigento.
  • The town has lost 960 residents since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.061 g.
  • Cheap houses in the centre, often in need of renovation.

Overview

Raffadali is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 11,877 residents, ranked 9 of 43 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Raffadali is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (27 of 43) are in the same zone.

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.

For anyone buying in Raffadali, 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 7.5%. 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 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Raffadali declared an average taxable income of 19,087 euros, above the provincial average (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Raffadali is in climate zone C, with 1,177 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 420 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Raffadali has 8 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.7 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.0).

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 16.5% of the land in Raffadali, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Raffadali, and one more has been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Raffadali: 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 Raffadali 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 41 inhabited census areas in Raffadali. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 78 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 16.0%
  • good 64.2%
  • very good 19.8%

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 084030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.