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Solarino: 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

Search for an address in Solarino

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 Principe Umberto 1, Solarino.

Solarino, inland from Syracuse towards the Iblei hills

From Syracuse, in south-east Sicily, the road to Palazzolo Acreide leaves the coast, passes through Floridia and soon enters Solarino, a farming town at around one hundred and sixty metres, where the plain begins to rise towards the Iblei hills. It is surrounded by citrus and olive groves and dry-stone walls; the centre is made up mostly of low houses, and districts of small villas and family homes have grown up around it.

Many residents work in Syracuse or in the industrial area on the coast, and for newcomers Solarino offers bigger, cheaper houses than the city, often with a yard or some land. The flip side is reliance on the car and on services that, from the hospital to secondary schools, are mostly in Syracuse. If you buy a country house, check access, utility connections and planning compliance, because in farming areas permits are not always in order. The climate is mild (zone C), with very hot summers.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,528 residents, down 4.1% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The population is young: an average age of 43.7 against 45.4 in the province, and over-65s at 20.9% against 23.3%. Households average 2.34 people, foreign residents are 5.0%, and declared incomes are below the provincial average.

South-east Sicily is one of the most earthquake-prone parts of Italy: the 1693 earthquake destroyed most of the towns in the Val di Noto. In the province of Syracuse, 17 of the 21 municipalities are in zone 1, the highest class set by the Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile), Solarino included, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.260 g. That is a high value, so before buying ask for the year of construction, the type of structure and any strengthening work, especially for masonry houses or upper floors added over the years.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report uses them to trace the plot and also checks flood hazard near the gullies running down from the Iblei hills.

Key points

  • Farming town on the road from Syracuse to Palazzolo Acreide.
  • Average age 43.7, against 45.4 in the province.
  • Seismic zone 1, the highest: expected acceleration 0.260 g.
  • 17 of the 21 municipalities in the province in zone 1.

Overview

Solarino is a municipality in the province of Siracusa, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,528 residents, ranked 15 of 21 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Solarino 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Solarino, 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 4.1%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (45). 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Solarino declared an average taxable income of 18,194 euros, below the provincial average (20,509 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Solarino is in climate zone C, with 966 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 165 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 0.4 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 18.1% of the land in Solarino, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.4 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 Solarino; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Solarino: 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 Solarino 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 16 inhabited census areas in Solarino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 089018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.