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Scilla: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Scilla

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 Provinciale Solano 1, Scilla.

Scilla, the castle rock and Chianalea on the Strait of Messina

At the northern entrance to the Strait of Messina, on the stretch of coast known as the Costa Viola, Scilla is split in two by a rock topped by the Ruffo castle. On one side is the beach of Marina Grande, on the other Chianalea, the fishermen's quarter with houses built right on the rocks. Above the rock spreads the newer upper town, and behind it rise steep slopes once terraced for vines.

The town lives on fishing, above all for swordfish, and on summer tourism. The figures show it: there are 13.06 places to eat per 1,000 residents, against 4.39 across the province of Reggio Calabria. A station on the Tyrrhenian railway and a junction on the A2 motorway link Scilla to Reggio and to Villa San Giovanni, where the ferries leave for Sicily.

If you are buying in Chianalea or Marina Grande, expect small, old houses, salt damage to render and steel, access on foot only and hard summer parking. Many homes are second homes or holiday lets.

There are 4,517 residents, down 11.7% on 2011, and the population is older than the provincial one: over-65s make up 27.2% against 23.6%. Foreign residents account for 2.9%.

The Strait has a long history of strong earthquakes. Scilla is in seismic zone 1 of the Civil Protection classification, like the other 96 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.255 g. Before buying, ask for the year of construction, the type of structure and any seismic upgrading. On the slopes above the town, the report also checks the official landslide maps.

Key points

  • Ruffo castle, Chianalea and Marina Grande on the Costa Viola.
  • Eating out: 13.06 places per 1,000 residents.
  • 4,517 residents, down 11.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration of about 0.255 g.

Overview

Scilla is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria. At the end of 2023 it had 4,517 residents, ranked 27 of 97 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Scilla is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. All 97 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.255 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Scilla, 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 11.7%. The estimated average age is 47 years, higher than the province average (45). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Scilla declared an average taxable income of 18,753 euros, in line with the province (19,157 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Scilla is in climate zone B, with 886 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 72 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Scilla has 10 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 2.2 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.3).

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 5.2% of the land in Scilla, compared with 5.8% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Scilla. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Scilla: 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 Scilla 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 43 inhabited census areas in Scilla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.1%
  • fair 95.9%

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 080085. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.