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Spadafora: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Spadafora

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 Umberto Primo 1, Spadafora.

Spadafora, a castle on the Tyrrhenian shore near Messina

There is a castle on Spadafora's beach: a square sixteenth-century fortress standing almost at the water's edge, which serves as the town's emblem. Spadafora lies on the Tyrrhenian coast of the province of Messina, between the city on the Strait and Milazzo, on a narrow strip of flat land backed by the Peloritani hills.

Being close to Messina makes it a place to live for people who work in the city, reached by the coastal railway and by the Palermo motorway that runs nearby. In summer the population grows with second-home owners near the beach. Buyers can choose between flats and detached houses along the coast and older houses in the historic core; in buildings a few metres from the sea, salt and damp quickly wear down render, steel reinforcement and window frames.

Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 4,654 residents in 2023, down 8.6% since 2011. The average age is 47.9, above the provincial 46.7; over-65s make up 26.9% and foreign residents 2.5%.

Earthquakes are the main issue. The province of Messina has 17 municipalities in seismic zone 1, the highest, and 91 in zone 2. Spadafora is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.167 g. Before buying, ask for the design date, the structural sign-off and any strengthening work, especially for 1970s blocks of flats. The fiumare, the seasonal torrents running down from the Peloritani, can swell within hours after heavy rain, and the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Tyrrhenian coast between Messina and Milazzo, castle on the beach.
  • 4,654 residents, down 8.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.167 g.
  • Torrents from the Peloritani: check flood maps for the address.

Overview

Spadafora is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,654 residents, ranked 21 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Spadafora is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (91 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.167 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Spadafora, 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 8.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Spadafora declared an average taxable income of 20,161 euros, in line with the province (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Spadafora is in climate zone B, with 696 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 6 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Spadafora has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 2 healthcare facilities, 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

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 11.2% of the land in Spadafora, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Spadafora.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Spadafora: 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 Spadafora 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 22 inhabited census areas in Spadafora. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 15.4%
  • good 84.6%

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 083096. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.