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Zafferana Etnea: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Zafferana Etnea

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 Garibaldi 2, Zafferana Etnea.

Zafferana Etnea, on the eastern slopes of Etna

In Zafferana Etnea the volcano is part of everyday life. The town sits on the eastern flank of Mount Etna, at around 570 metres, below the Valle del Bove and above the coast at Acireale. During the 1991-1993 eruption a lava flow advanced towards the town and stopped just short of the houses, helped by the barriers built to divert it. The municipality includes hamlets such as Fleri and Pisano, scattered among vineyards, orchards and woodland.

Zafferana is known for its honey and for the Ottobrata, an autumn festival that draws thousands of visitors from Catania and nearby towns. In summer many houses fill up with people coming up from the city to escape the heat, and part of the housing stock is second homes. Buyers should expect steep roads, winters that are colder and wetter than on the coast and, when the volcano is active, ash to clear from roofs, terraces and gutters.

At the end of 2023 there were 9,384 residents, up 1.5% on 2011. The average age of 43.9 is a little below the figure for the province of Catania (44.2); people over 65 make up 21.0% and foreign residents 5.5%. Average declared incomes are lower than the provincial level.

The key issue is earthquakes. Zafferana is in seismic zone 2 under the Civil Protection Department's classification, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.226 g, in a province with 4 municipalities in zone 1 and 54 in zone 2. Etna's eastern flank has shallow faults that produce earthquakes of moderate magnitude which are nonetheless violent close to the epicentre and can crack unreinforced lava-stone houses. For a masonry building, ask what strengthening work has been done; for a recent one, ask for the structural design and the final inspection certificate.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report finds the land parcel from the address and checks the official landslide and flood maps at that exact point, since conditions on the volcano's slopes vary from one district to the next.

Key points

  • On Etna's eastern flank, below the Valle del Bove.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.226 g.
  • 9,384 residents, up 1.5% since 2011.
  • Lava-stone houses: ask what strengthening work has been done.

Overview

Zafferana Etnea is a municipality in the province of Catania, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 9,384 residents, ranked 29 of 58 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Zafferana Etnea 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 0.226 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Zafferana Etnea, 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 grown by 1.5%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Zafferana Etnea declared an average taxable income of 18,831 euros, below the provincial average (20,793 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Zafferana Etnea is in climate zone C, with 1,184 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 574 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Zafferana Etnea has 11 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 4.9% of the land in Zafferana Etnea, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 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 Zafferana Etnea; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Zafferana Etnea: 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 Zafferana Etnea 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 33 inhabited census areas in Zafferana Etnea. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 27.9%
  • good 42.2%
  • very good 29.9%

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

ISTAT code 087055. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.