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Trapani: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Trapani

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 Giovan Battista Fardella 1, Trapani.

Trapani, salt pans, harbour and islands

Trapani sits on a sickle-shaped spit of land at the western tip of Sicily; its Greek name, Drepanon, refers to exactly that shape. On one side lie the harbour and the ferries to the Egadi Islands, on the other the salt pans stretching along the coast, while the hilltop town of Erice looks down from the mountain above. The sea, salt, fishing and tourism have shaped the local economy.

The number that stands out is the population. Trapani had 55,229 residents in 2023, compared with 69,241 at the 2011 census: a drop of 20.2%, the steepest among Sicily's provincial capitals. Before drawing conclusions about any one area, it makes sense to understand how that decline is spread, and the town hall (Comune) can help. Trapani is still the second largest municipality in its province. The estimated average age is about 46, with 24.5% of residents over 65 and 4.5% foreign nationals.

In everyday terms, Overture's open map data count 388 cafés and restaurants, 7.0 per thousand residents against 5 across the province, and 68 healthcare sites, well above the provincial rate per resident.

Earthquake risk needs two figures read side by side. Trapani is in seismic zone 2, like 18 of the 25 municipalities in its province (6 are in zone 1 and 1 in zone 4). Yet the INGV model gives a low expected ground acceleration for the built-up area, about 0.052 g. The zone is a classification applied to the whole municipality; the acceleration is an estimate of the hazard at a given point. For an actual building, its age and type of structure also carry weight.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are available, and the report locates the land parcel from the street address. In a low-lying city wedged between harbour and salt pans, flood and landslide exposure still has to be checked street by street.

Key points

  • Second largest municipality in the province: 55,229 residents in 2023.
  • Population down 20.2% since the 2011 census.
  • Seismic zone 2, but low expected ground acceleration (about 0.052 g).
  • Cafés and restaurants: 7.0 per thousand residents, above the provincial average.

Overview

Trapani is the capital of the province of Trapani, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 55,229 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Trapani is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (18 of 25) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.052 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Trapani, 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 20.2%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Trapani declared an average taxable income of 21,114 euros, above the provincial average (18,927 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Trapani is in climate zone B, with 810 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 3 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Trapani has 52 schools and 23 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 42 grocery shops and supermarkets, 68 healthcare facilities, 37 sports facilities and 10 parks and green areas.

There are 1.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 8.0% of the land in Trapani, compared with 7.9% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.7 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 Trapani; 4 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Trapani: 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 Trapani 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 890 inhabited census areas in Trapani. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 78 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 5.4%
  • good 55.2%
  • very good 39.4%

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 081021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.