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Torregrotta: 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 Torregrotta

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 Ventuno Ottobre 1, Torregrotta.

Torregrotta, the Tyrrhenian plain between Milazzo and Messina

Torregrotta is a lowland municipality on the Tyrrhenian coast of the province of Messina, in Sicily, on the stretch between Villafranca Tirrena and Milazzo. It is small and densely built, with the town stretched out between the main road and the sea and the Peloritani hills right behind. The Messina to Palermo railway runs through, and the town has its own station.

It is a place to live all year rather than a holiday resort. Many families work in Messina, Milazzo or nearby towns and choose Torregrotta for flat streets and prices below the city's. You find 1970s and 1980s blocks, detached houses and flats near the beach. The data list 7 supermarkets, 0.96 per 1,000 residents against 0.59 in the province.

At the end of 2023 there were 7,289 residents, down 1.8% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, a modest loss by Sicilian standards. The estimated average age is 45.1, lower than the provincial 46.7, and over-65s make up 22.2%. Foreign residents account for 2.9%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Strait of Messina area is among the most earthquake-prone in Italy: in the province 17 municipalities are in zone 1 and 91 in zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale. Torregrotta is in zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.162 g in the built-up area. Many buildings predate current seismic rules, so for a block of flats ask for the design year, the structural sign-off and any engineering assessments.

Streams run down from the hills to the sea; dry in summer, they can swell in heavy rain. The report checks flood and landslide maps at the address, and the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps lead to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Tyrrhenian plain between Villafranca Tirrena and Milazzo, with a station.
  • Average age 45.1, below the provincial 46.7.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.162 g.
  • Streams to the sea: check flood risk at the address.

Overview

Torregrotta is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,289 residents, ranked 12 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Torregrotta 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 0.162 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Torregrotta, 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 1.8%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (47). 22% 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 Torregrotta declared an average taxable income of 18,195 euros, below the provincial average (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Torregrotta is in climate zone B, with 702 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 44 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Torregrotta has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities and 6 sports facilities.

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 36.7% of the land in Torregrotta, 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 Torregrotta.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Torregrotta: 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 Torregrotta 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 24 inhabited census areas in Torregrotta. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 0.4%
  • good 88.5%
  • very good 11.0%

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 083098. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.