Tremestieri Etneo: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Catania, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Tremestieri Etneo
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 Etnea 1, Tremestieri Etneo.
Tremestieri Etneo, on the slopes of Etna above Catania
Tremestieri Etneo lies on the southern flank of Mount Etna, just north of Catania, and the two now run into each other: you cross from one municipality to the next without noticing, among small apartment blocks, detached houses and shopping streets. The town hall stands at around four hundred metres, high enough to take the edge off the summer heat of central Catania, while winters stay mild (climate zone C). Much of the town grew in the second half of the twentieth century, when Catania families moved up the volcano's slopes in search of space.
The population is shrinking: 19,397 residents at the end of 2023, down 7.8% on the 21,032 counted in 2011 by Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 45.8, against 44.2 for the province, over-65s make up 23.3% and foreign nationals just 1.0%. Declared incomes are well above the provincial average.
The daily issue for buyers is traffic into Catania, since almost everyone drives and most of the land is built up. It is worth checking the real distance to schools, shops and bus stops from the exact spot of the house, which the report measures for every address. Newcomers should also know that ash from Etna falls on roofs, terraces and gutters during some eruptive phases and has to be cleared.
On the volcano's flank the ground shakes often, usually with shallow tremors felt over a small area. Tremestieri is in seismic zone 2 of the national classification drawn up by the Civil Protection Department, like 53 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.219 g, a high value. For a flat in a block from the 1970s or 1980s, ask for the structural design, the inspection certificate and whether any seismic strengthening has been done.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the whole municipality, so the report goes from the address to the land parcel and checks the official landslide and flood maps at that point.
Key points
- On the slopes of Etna, merging into Catania.
- Population down 7.8% since 2011, foreign residents 1.0%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.219 g.
- Declared incomes well above the provincial average.
Overview
Tremestieri Etneo is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 19,397 residents, ranked 14 of 58 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Tremestieri Etneo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (54 of 58) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.219 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Tremestieri Etneo, 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 7.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, higher than the province average (44). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Tremestieri Etneo declared an average taxable income of 26,573 euros, above the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Tremestieri Etneo is in climate zone C, with 1,250 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 400 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Tremestieri Etneo has 19 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 18 healthcare facilities, 15 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 37.5% of the land in Tremestieri Etneo, compared with 8.0% 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 Tremestieri Etneo.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Tremestieri Etneo: 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 Tremestieri Etneo 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 44 inhabited census areas in Tremestieri Etneo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 6.1%
- good 82.9%
- very good 10.9%
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 087051. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.