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San Cono: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in San Cono

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: Viale Don Luigi Sturzo 1, San Cono.

San Cono, prickly pear country in the Calatino

San Cono is tied to one fruit: the prickly pear, grown on the hills around the town and celebrated every year with a food festival. The municipality is in the western part of the province of Catania, in the Calatino, the area around Caltagirone, among open hills, fields, olive groves and prickly pear plantations, with the town hall at around 520 metres. Caltagirone is the nearest larger town, while Catania, for specialist hospitals, the airport and offices, is a longer trip.

The town has a compact centre of two and three-storey houses and few scattered homes in the countryside. Buyers mostly find independent houses, to be assessed carefully for structure, roof and services. On the slopes the report checks the official landslide maps for the address.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,445 residents in 2023, down 12.4% since 2011. The average age (44.6) is close to the provincial figure and over-65s make up 23.8%. The share of foreign residents stands out at 13.3%, high for inland Sicily. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Catania.

The town has 4 school-related places, 1 pharmacy and 5 cafés and restaurants.

Eastern Sicily has high seismic hazard. San Cono is in zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 53 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.116 g. Before buying, find out when the house was built and how, and for older masonry houses whether any strengthening has been done. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Calatino, prickly pear hills in the west of the province.
  • Population down 12.4% since 2011, foreign residents 13.3%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.116 g.
  • Masonry houses: ask about age and strengthening work.

Overview

San Cono is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,445 residents, among the smallest in the province (56 of 58).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Cono is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (54 of 58) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.116 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Cono, 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 12.4%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 13.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Cono declared an average taxable income of 13,775 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Cono is in climate zone D, with 1,437 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 525 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Cono has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

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 9.7% of the land in San Cono, compared with 8.0% 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 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 San Cono.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Cono: 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 San Cono 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 8 inhabited census areas in San Cono. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 2.1%
  • good 97.9%

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 087040. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.