Siracusa: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Siracusa, 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 Siracusa
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 Scala Greca 1, Siracusa.
Syracuse, from Ortigia to the modern city
The heart of Siracusa (Syracuse in English) is an island: Ortigia, linked to the mainland by bridges and home to the historic centre. The city was one of the leading Greek colonies of the Mediterranean and the birthplace of Archimedes, and its Greek theatre still stages classical drama. Together with the rock-cut necropolis of Pantalica it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Further north, along the coast between Augusta and Priolo, lies one of Sicily's largest industrial areas.
For a home buyer, the first figure to weigh is seismic. Siracusa is in zone 1, the highest class, like 17 of the 21 municipalities in its province; the other 4 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.216 g. The questions differ between Ortigia's historic buildings and the apartment blocks of later decades, but they always come back to age, structure and the work carried out over time.
The population has held fairly steady: 116,247 residents in 2023 against 118,385 in 2011, a fall of 1.8%. Siracusa is the most populous municipality in the province, with 30.3% of its residents. The estimated average age is 46, 24.0% of residents are over 65 and 5.3% are foreign nationals; households average 2.24 people.
Tourism shows in the numbers. Overture's open map data count 787 cafés and restaurants, 6.8 per thousand residents against 5.4 across the province, and 111 sports facilities. Supermarkets, at 56, are below the provincial rate per resident, and there are 89 healthcare sites.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Siracusa, so the report can identify the land parcel from an address. Flood and landslide exposure is not the same on the low-lying coast as it is further inland, and it is checked at the exact location.
Key points
- Seismic zone 1, like 17 of the 21 municipalities in the province; about 0.216 g.
- 116,247 residents in 2023, down 1.8% since 2011.
- Largest municipality in the province, with 30.3% of residents.
- Historic centre on the island of Ortigia, a UNESCO site.
Overview
Siracusa is the capital of the province of Siracusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 116,247 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 30% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Siracusa is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (17 of 21) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.216 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Siracusa, 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 1.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Siracusa declared an average taxable income of 23,311 euros, above the provincial average (20,509 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Siracusa is in climate zone B, with 799 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 17 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Siracusa has 106 schools and 37 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 56 grocery shops and supermarkets, 89 healthcare facilities, 111 sports facilities and 17 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 17.0% of the land in Siracusa, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.8 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 open contaminated sites in Siracusa; 6 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Siracusa: 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 Siracusa 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 577 inhabited census areas in Siracusa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.2%
- fair 99.8%
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 089017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.