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Siracusa: what to know before buying a home

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

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: Via Dante 7, Milan.

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 four 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 736 cafés and restaurants, 6.3 per thousand residents against 5.0 across the province, and 103 sports facilities. Supermarkets, at 47, are below the provincial rate per resident, and there are 68 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Siracusa.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

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.

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 47 grocery shops and supermarkets, 68 healthcare facilities, 103 sports facilities and 16 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Siracusa: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 089017. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.