San Gregorio di Catania: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Gregorio di Catania
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 Umberto 1, San Gregorio di Catania.
San Gregorio di Catania, villas on the lower slopes of Etna
Drive up from Catania towards Etna and after a few bends you reach San Gregorio, at around three hundred metres above sea level. The town belongs to the ring of Etna villages that surrounds Catania to the north, and it grew mainly as a place to live: detached houses, blocks of flats and villas with gardens built over recent decades for people who work in the city and want cooler air and more room.
The background figures show it. A very large share of the land is now built on, and average declared incomes are among the highest in the province, well above the provincial average. Buyers usually choose between a detached house with some land and a flat in a residential complex. Either way, time the real journey to work, because the roads down into Catania are often congested.
In 2023 there were 11,483 residents, almost exactly as many as in 2011 (14 fewer). The population is slightly older than the province as a whole: estimated average age 45.9 against 44.2, over-65s at 23.7% against 21.9%. Foreign residents are few, 1.8%.
The slopes of Etna are seismically active. San Gregorio is in zone 2, as are 53 other municipalities in the province, and its expected ground acceleration of about 0.216 g is high for that class. Besides the major historic earthquakes of eastern Sicily, the volcano produces shallow tremors that can damage small areas, so for a villa or a flat ask for the structural design, the year of construction and any checks carried out. Volcanic ash, which now and then settles on roofs, gutters and terraces, is also part of the upkeep.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report goes from the street number to the plot. Landslide and flood hazard along the gullies running down to the sea is checked address by address.
Key points
- Residential town on the lower slopes of Etna, just above Catania.
- Average declared incomes well above the provincial average.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.216 g.
- 11,483 residents in 2023; over-65s at 23.7%.
Overview
San Gregorio di Catania is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 11,483 residents, ranked 25 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Gregorio di Catania 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 0.216 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Gregorio di Catania, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, higher than the province average (44). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Gregorio di Catania declared an average taxable income of 30,867 euros, above the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Gregorio di Catania is in climate zone C, with 1,106 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 321 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Gregorio di Catania has 12 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 35.2% of the land in San Gregorio di Catania, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list no contaminated sites in San Gregorio di Catania.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Gregorio di Catania: 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 Gregorio di Catania 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 39 inhabited census areas in San Gregorio di Catania. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 16.0%
- good 74.0%
- very good 10.0%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 087042. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.