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Ribera: 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 Ribera

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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Ribera.

Ribera, orange groves and the coast between Sciacca and Agrigento

In Sicily, the name Ribera means oranges. The town stands on a rise a short way inland from the island's south-western coast, between Sciacca and Agrigento, and around it spreads a plain of citrus groves watered by the Verdura and Magazzolo rivers, where an orange with protected designation of origin status is grown. Francesco Crispi, Italy's prime minister in the late nineteenth century, was born here.

The housing market has three sides. In town there are many old, roomy houses, often sold cheaply because the younger generation has moved away, and they usually need work on roofs, façades and services. On the coast, the hamlet of Seccagrande is the seaside resort, with homes used mostly in summer. Out among the orange groves are rural houses and small villas, for which it is wise to check land registry status, building permits and any amnesty application (condono) for past irregularities.

The population is shrinking. At the end of 2023 there were 17,802 residents, down 7.8% since 2011, or 1,500 fewer. The estimated average age is 46.3, against 45.6 for the province of Agrigento, and over-65s make up 25.3%. Foreign residents account for 6.4%, many linked to farm work. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Belice valley, struck by the 1968 earthquake, is not far away. Using the zones set by Italy's Civil Protection Department, the province has 3 municipalities in zone 1, 27 in zone 2 and 12 in zone 3. Ribera is in zone 2, yet its expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.079 g, is low compared with many towns in the same zone. In an old masonry house, the state of the floors and of the ties between walls still matters.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report starts from the address to find the plot. On the plain near the rivers and along the gullies, flood hazard varies a lot and is checked for the exact spot.

Key points

  • Orange-growing town between Sciacca and Agrigento, with the sea at Seccagrande.
  • Population down 7.8% since 2011; over-65s at 25.3%.
  • Seismic zone 2, low expected acceleration, about 0.079 g.
  • Country and seaside homes: check permits and amnesty applications.

Overview

Ribera is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 17,802 residents, ranked 7 of 43 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ribera 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 0.079 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ribera, 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 7.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 6.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ribera declared an average taxable income of 17,173 euros, in line with the province (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ribera is in climate zone C, with 974 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 223 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ribera has 16 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 11 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 5.5% of the land in Ribera, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.5 hectares.

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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Ribera, and 9 more have 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 Ribera: 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 Ribera 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 70 inhabited census areas in Ribera. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 80 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 8.2%
  • good 40.9%
  • very good 51.0%

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 084033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.