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Vicari: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vicari

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 Roma 1, Vicari.

Vicari, a castle on the rock in inland Palermo province

Vicari is a village in the interior of the province of Palermo, built at around 700 metres beneath a crag that still carries the ruins of its castle. The land around it is hills and upland plateaux given over to wheat, grazing and some olive groves, with hot summers and winters colder than many expect in Sicily. Palermo is reachable by car, but life here follows the rhythm of the interior.

The village has lost many residents. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,389 in 2023, down 19.0% on 2011, and the average age is 48.4, against 44.7 for the province. Over-65s make up 29.6% and foreign residents 1.0%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

House hunters should know that services are limited: for hospital care, secondary schools and large shops you have to travel. Streets are steep and many houses are narrow, on several floors, reached by stairs.

Vicari is in seismic zone 2, like 80 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.108 g. In an old masonry house, have a surveyor look at cracks, at how walls and floors are tied together and at the roof.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published. The report starts from the address, identifies the land parcel and reads the official landslide maps for that spot, which is useful in a village built below a crag.

Key points

  • Inland village at around 700 metres, below its castle crag.
  • Population down 19.0% since 2011.
  • Over-65s 29.6%, average age 48.4.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.108 g.

Overview

Vicari is a municipality in the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,389 residents, ranked 58 of 82 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vicari 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 0.108 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Vicari, 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 19.0%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vicari declared an average taxable income of 16,445 euros, below the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vicari is in climate zone D, with 1,719 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 700 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vicari has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 1.3 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 2.9% of the land in Vicari, compared with 5.7% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Vicari; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vicari: 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 Vicari 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 21 inhabited census areas in Vicari. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 10.3%
  • good 89.7%

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 082078. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.