Terrasini: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Palermo, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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: Corso Vittorio Emanuele Terzo 1, Terrasini.
Terrasini, a seaside town next to Palermo airport
Terrasini looks over the Gulf of Castellammare from the coast west of Palermo, with reddish rock cliffs, small coves and a fishing harbour. It borders Cinisi, where Falcone Borsellino airport stands, and the motorway to Trapani runs just inland of the town. In the centre, Palazzo d'Aumale houses a regional museum of natural history and archaeology.
In summer the population swells with holidaymakers from Palermo, tourists and short-term lets, which shows in the number of bars and restaurants, far above the provincial average. Decide early whether you want a home to live in or a holiday place: near the sea and in the tourist areas, prices and summer noise are not the same as in the streets further inland. Palermo is about half an hour away by car, traffic permitting.
The town is growing: 12,982 residents in 2023, up 8.3% since 2011, partly thanks to people leaving the city. The average age is 43.4 and 21.0% are over 65. Foreign residents are few, 2.9%. Average incomes are below the metropolitan area figure.
Almost all of the province of Palermo is in seismic zone 2 (81 of 82 municipalities), as classified by the Civil Protection Department. In Terrasini expected ground acceleration is about 0.138 g, a mid-range value. In homes near the sea, look closely at the reinforced concrete too: salt air rusts the steel in balconies and pillars, and repairs are expensive.
Along the shore the issue is cliff erosion; inland it is short, violent downpours running off the hills behind the town. The report checks landslide and flood hazard for the exact address, using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.
Key points
- Coast west of Palermo, next to the airport and the Trapani motorway.
- Population up 8.3% since 2011, many summer homes.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.138 g.
- Near the sea: salt air corrodes steel in balconies and pillars.
Overview
Terrasini is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 12,982 residents, ranked 10 of 82 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Terrasini is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.138 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Terrasini, 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 grown by 8.3%. The estimated average age is 43 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Terrasini declared an average taxable income of 19,573 euros, below the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Terrasini is in climate zone B, with 720 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 33 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Terrasini has 8 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.2 healthcare facilities 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 20.7% of the land in Terrasini, compared with 5.7% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.
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 open contaminated sites in Terrasini; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Terrasini: 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 Terrasini 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 62 inhabited census areas in Terrasini. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 50.8%
- good 49.2%
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 082071. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.