San Pietro Clarenza: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in San Pietro Clarenza
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 I 1, San Pietro Clarenza.
San Pietro Clarenza, on the slopes of Etna above Catania
San Pietro Clarenza lies on the southern flank of Mount Etna, at about 450 metres, near Belpasso and Misterbianco. Catania is just over ten kilometres further down, and in recent decades the town has become one of the places where Catania families come looking for a bigger house with a garden at lower prices than in the city.
The figures show it. In 2023 there were 8,349 residents, up 17.6% on the 7,102 of 2011, strong growth by Sicilian standards. It is also a young town: an estimated average age of 40.2 against 44.2 for the province, with over-65s at 15.9% against 21.9%. Foreign residents are few, at 0.7%. New building is mostly detached houses and small blocks around the old centre.
There is no railway and daily life depends on the car. The roads down to Catania and the ring road fill up at rush hour, so try the journey at the times you will actually make it.
The main issue for buyers is earthquakes. The Etna area has frequent tremors, sometimes strong, linked to the volcano and to shallow faults. San Pietro Clarenza is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.211 g, a high value; in the province 4 municipalities are in zone 1, the top class. For houses built during the years of rapid expansion, ask to see the structural design, the final inspection certificate and the planning permits, and check that the property as it stands matches what was authorised.
The ground is volcanic, made of old lava flows, with slopes that vary from one area to another. The report starts from the address, finds the plot on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps and checks the official landslide and flood maps for that spot.
Key points
- On the slopes of Etna, just above Catania.
- Population up 17.6% since 2011; average age 40.2.
- Seismic zone 2 with high expected acceleration, about 0.211 g.
- Check design, inspection and permits before buying.
Overview
San Pietro Clarenza is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 8,349 residents, ranked 34 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Pietro Clarenza 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 0.211 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Pietro Clarenza, 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 grown by 17.6%. The estimated average age is 40 years, lower than the province average (44). 16% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 0.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Pietro Clarenza declared an average taxable income of 21,064 euros, in line with the province (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Pietro Clarenza is in climate zone C, with 1,337 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 463 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Pietro Clarenza has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
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 26.9% of the land in San Pietro Clarenza, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list no contaminated sites in San Pietro Clarenza.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Pietro Clarenza: 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 Pietro Clarenza 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 19 inhabited census areas in San Pietro Clarenza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 30.7%
- good 49.5%
- 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
- 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 087044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.