Santa Marina Salina: 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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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 Risorgimento 1, Santa Marina Salina.
Santa Marina Salina, the harbour town of Salina in the Aeolians
Salina is the second largest of the Aeolian Islands, off the north coast of Sicily, and is split into three municipalities: Santa Marina Salina, Malfa and Leni. Santa Marina is on the east coast, facing Lipari, and has the harbour where hydrofoils and ferries arrive from Milazzo and the other islands. Behind the village rises Monte Fossa delle Felci, the highest peak in the archipelago, wooded and protected as a nature reserve. The municipality also includes Lingua, a hamlet further south with its small salt lake.
Buying here means choosing island life. In summer the village fills with visitors and many houses are second homes; in winter life slows down and rough seas can stop the hydrofoils. For a hospital and many public offices you have to cross the water. The Aeolians are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and planning rules on the landscape are strict, so before buying a house that needs work, find out what you will actually be allowed to do.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 856 residents at the end of 2023, down 4.0% since 2011. The average age is 48.4, against 46.7 in the province of Messina; over-65s are 26.8% and foreign residents 9.3%. Overture's map data show how much tourism counts: 27 bars and restaurants for a place this size.
The islands are volcanic and Santa Marina is in seismic zone 2 (zone 1 is the most hazardous), with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.174 g. In old stone houses, ask what structural work has been done. The climate is zone B, with mild winters: damp and salt air matter more here than heating.
Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available, and the report finds the land parcel from the address.
Key points
- Main harbour of Salina, second largest of the Aeolian Islands.
- 856 residents, down 4.0% since 2011.
- 27 bars and restaurants: tourism matters.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.174 g.
Overview
Santa Marina Salina is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 856 residents, ranked 86 of 108 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Marina Salina 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 Santa Marina Salina, 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 4.0%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (47). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 9.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Marina Salina declared an average taxable income of 21,068 euros, in line with the province (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santa Marina Salina is in climate zone B, with 669 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 25 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Marina Salina has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 sports facility.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 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 5.4% of the land in Santa Marina Salina, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Santa Marina Salina.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Santa Marina Salina: 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 Santa Marina Salina 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 5 inhabited census areas in Santa Marina Salina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 76 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 1.6%
- good 98.4%
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 083087. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.