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Santa Ninfa: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Santa Ninfa

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 Pio La Torre 1, Santa Ninfa.

Santa Ninfa, the rebuilt Belice and the gypsum cave

Santa Ninfa is one of the Belice valley towns struck by the 1968 earthquake, and much of what you see today is the result of rebuilding. It lies in the hills of inland Trapani province at about 400 metres, between Salemi, Partanna, Gibellina and Castelvetrano. The municipality includes a nature reserve protecting the Grotta di Santa Ninfa, a cave carved by water into gypsum rock.

For buyers this history has a practical side: many houses were built in the 1970s and 1980s with reconstruction funds, in reinforced concrete, and their quality varies a great deal from one building to the next. Before making an offer, ask for the plans, the construction year and, where it exists, the structural sign-off certificate (collaudo). The surrounding countryside is vineyards and olive groves, and the sea at Selinunte and Mazara is an easy drive away.

The population is falling: 4,753 residents in 2023, down 6.7% on 2011. The average age is 47.7, above the province (46.0), and over-65s are 27.8% against 24.7%. Households are small, 2.09 people on average, foreign residents are 3.8% and incomes are below the provincial average.

The seismic zone is 1, the highest: in the province of Trapani only 5 other municipalities share it. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.124 g. The report shows these values for the address, together with landslide and flood maps, but for a specific building an engineer's assessment remains the decisive step.

Key points

  • Belice town rebuilt after the 1968 earthquake.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.124 g.
  • 4,753 residents, down 6.7% since 2011.
  • Nature reserve protecting the Santa Ninfa gypsum cave.

Overview

Santa Ninfa is a municipality in the province of Trapani, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,753 residents, ranked 19 of 25 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Ninfa is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 6 of 25 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.124 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Santa Ninfa, 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 6.7%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Ninfa declared an average taxable income of 16,532 euros, below the provincial average (18,927 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Santa Ninfa is in climate zone C, with 1,231 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 410 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Ninfa has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 3 parks and green areas.

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 5.5% of the land in Santa Ninfa, compared with 7.9% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.5 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 Santa Ninfa.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Santa Ninfa: 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 Ninfa 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 28 inhabited census areas in Santa Ninfa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 99.9%

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 081019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.