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Taormina: 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 Taormina

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 Francavilla 1, Taormina.

Taormina, on Monte Tauro between the sea and Etna

Taormina is built on a terrace of Monte Tauro, at around 200 metres, with views stretching from the bay of Giardini Naxos to Mount Etna. The ancient theatre, Corso Umberto and the beaches of Mazzarò and Isola Bella make it one of the best-known resorts in Sicily, and that has real consequences for anyone buying a home.

In the centre many properties are holiday homes, hotels or short-term lets, and in summer the streets are crowded. If you want somewhere to live all year round, the upper part of town and its edges are quieter, but expect narrow streets, flights of steps and difficult parking; Corso Umberto itself is pedestrianised. Between the coast and the town you climb by hairpin roads or take the Mazzarò cable car. Lower down, towards the Alcantara valley, the hamlet of Trappitello has newer houses and more space.

The town sits on a steep slope, and in some areas the ground is prone to landslides and rockfall. The report measures the gradient at the address and checks the official hazard maps. The climate is mild (climate zone B), with short winters.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,498 residents in 2023, down 5.3% since 2011. The average age (47.1) is close to that of the province of Messina, foreign residents make up 6.8% and declared incomes are above the provincial average.

The Ionian coast between Messina and Catania is one of the most earthquake-prone parts of Italy. Taormina is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.212 g, and 17 municipalities in the province are in zone 1. Many buildings in the centre are old and have been altered several times, so before buying you need information on the structure, the floors and whether past works were properly authorised. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps.

Key points

  • On Monte Tauro, overlooking the bay of Naxos and Etna.
  • Many holiday homes and tourist lets in the centre.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.212 g.
  • Steep ground: check landslides and slope by address.

Overview

Taormina is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 10,498 residents, among the most populous in the province (8 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Taormina 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 0.212 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Taormina, 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 5.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Taormina declared an average taxable income of 24,052 euros, above the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Taormina is in climate zone B, with 735 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 204 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Taormina has 9 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 13 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 22.6% of the land in Taormina, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.4 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 contaminated sites in Taormina.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Taormina: 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 Taormina 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 79 inhabited census areas in Taormina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 24.4%
  • good 33.7%
  • very good 29.3%
  • excellent 12.5%

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 083097. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.