Villafranca Tirrena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Messina, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Villafranca Tirrena
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 Nazionale 1, Villafranca Tirrena.
Villafranca Tirrena, on the Tyrrhenian coast west of Messina
Heading from Messina towards Palermo, once you are past the Peloritani mountains, Villafranca Tirrena is one of the first towns you reach on the Tyrrhenian coast. It stretches between the sea and the hills, crossed by the main road and the railway running along the coast, with the Palermo motorway a little further inland and its own junction. Messina is about twenty minutes away, and many residents commute there every day.
Most of the building is recent. Around the old core, blocks of flats, detached houses and commercial areas have grown up, and on the seafront there are both year-round homes and summer houses. Buyers will find lower prices than in the city, but should check the distance from the railway and busy roads, and the condition of buildings often put up in a hurry between the 1960s and the 1980s.
The population is falling: 7,924 residents in 2023, 9.4% fewer than in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 47.8, against 46.7 in the province of Messina, and over-65s make up 26.4%. Foreign residents are few, at 1.7%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.
Earthquakes are the main issue. The area around Messina and the Strait is among the most hazardous in Italy, as the 1908 earthquake that destroyed Messina and Reggio shows. Villafranca Tirrena is in seismic zone 1, the highest band in the Civil Protection classification, along with 16 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of about 0.182 g. Before buying, find out the year of the structural design, the type of structure and any seismic upgrades, and have the ground-floor columns checked if shops or garages have been opened up.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, and the report traces the plot from the address. Short, steep torrents called fiumare run down from the hills and can swell within hours in heavy rain: near their beds, flood and landslide risk should be read for the individual house.
Key points
- Motorway junction and railway, about twenty minutes from Messina.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.182 g.
- Population down 9.4% since 2011; over-65s at 26.4%.
- Near the fiumare: read flood and landslide risk by address.
Overview
Villafranca Tirrena is a municipality in the province of Messina, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,924 residents, among the most populous in the province (11 of 108).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Villafranca Tirrena is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 17 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.182 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Villafranca Tirrena, 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 9.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 1.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Villafranca Tirrena declared an average taxable income of 21,162 euros, in line with the province (20,687 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Villafranca Tirrena is in climate zone B, with 664 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 22 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Villafranca Tirrena has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).
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 14.3% of the land in Villafranca Tirrena, compared with 6.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Villafranca Tirrena; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Villafranca Tirrena: 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 Villafranca Tirrena 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 40 inhabited census areas in Villafranca Tirrena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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
- 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 083105. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.