San Marco d'Alunzio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Messina, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Marco d'Alunzio
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 Cappuccini 1, San Marco d'Alunzio.
San Marco d'Alunzio, a Nebrodi village above the Tyrrhenian
San Marco d'Alunzio stands on a hill in the Nebrodi mountains, looking out over the Tyrrhenian Sea in north-eastern Sicily, not far from Sant'Agata di Militello. It is the ancient Aluntium, and its historic centre keeps many churches and remains from different periods, often built in the red stone quarried locally.
Buying here means choosing between the village up on the hill, with stone houses along steep streets, and the lower areas towards the coast, where you find newer buildings and the coast road with connections to Messina and Palermo. In the old centre many houses need a careful look: roofs, timber floors, damp and access for builders. Average incomes are lower than in the province of Messina.
The population has been falling for years. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,818 residents in 2023, 12.7% fewer than in 2011, which is 265 people. The average age is 46.7, the same as the provincial figure, and over-65s make up 24.8%.
The seismic zone is 2, shared with 90 other municipalities in the province, while 17 are in zone 1. The expected acceleration in the built-up area is 0.174 g. In terraced stone houses, ask whether there has been structural work and whether the roof was rebuilt to earthquake-resistant standards.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report starts from the address, finds the land parcel and checks elevation, slope and the official landslide and flood maps.
Key points
- Nebrodi village on a hill overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
- Stone-built old centre, newer areas lower down towards the coast.
- Population down 12.7% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.174 g.
Overview
San Marco d'Alunzio is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,818 residents, ranked 58 of 108 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Marco d'Alunzio is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.174 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Marco d'Alunzio, 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 12.7%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Marco d'Alunzio declared an average taxable income of 16,412 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Marco d'Alunzio is in climate zone D, with 1,550 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 540 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Marco d'Alunzio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 1 sports facility.
There are 1.1 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 4.1% of the land in San Marco d'Alunzio, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.0 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 contaminated sites in San Marco d'Alunzio.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Marco d'Alunzio: 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 Marco d'Alunzio 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 10 inhabited census areas in San Marco d'Alunzio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.
Residents by band
- good 83.8%
- very good 16.2%
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 083079. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.