What are the ten best places to live in Italy?
Instead of falling in with all the other lists of great places to live in Italy, which always include Rome, Florence and Milan, we answer this question by looking at the annual quality of life survey compiled by Lab 24.
This survey is completed at the end of the year and looks at over 90 indicators across six broad categories.
These categories include:
- wealth and consumption;
- business and work;
- environment and services;
- demography, society and health;
- justice and security;
- Culture and leisure.
So, based on this compilation, you arrive at a list that is a little bit different that what you might expect.
Below are the top ten places to live in Italy, based on quality of life, along with some brief comments about each location.
Number 1 – Best Places to Live In Italy – Udine
Udine is a small city of about 100,000 people located in northeast Italy within the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, one of the five autonomous regions of Italy.
This was the first year that Udine topped the list and only the fourth time that the area cracked the top 10 since these rankings began in 1990.
Categories that drove Udine to the top of the rankings included Quality of Life for Women, Quality of Life for Children, its high number of gyms and wellness centers, low crime, and low level of poverty.
Not known as a tourist destination by any stretch, Udine is clearly a city that falls under the radar.
Number 2 – Bologna
Bologna was the number 1 ranked city in this survey in 2022, and is often found in the top 10 in these rankings.
Along with Bolzano, Bologna holds the record for topping the list at 5 occasions.
A university town, Bologna is known as the food capital of Italy and it ranks in the top ten on this list in five out of the six main categories. It’s lone, but big blemish is petty crime dealing with pickpocket thieves.
Geographically, Bologna is easily accessible by train from Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, and it is just an hour away from the east coast beach town of Rimini.
Number 3 – Trento
Coming in at number 3 is Trento, another perennial top ten city on this list.
Located just north of Lake Garda, this city of about 120,000 is a consistent performer across most of the categories, with top 20 rankings in five of them, including 4th place in Environment and Services.
The city dates back to ancient times, and was conquered by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC.
Economically, Trento is noted for its high-quality agriculture, wine, commerce and services, and it is popular tourist attraction.
Number 4 – Aosta
Aosta is another perennial contender for the highest quality of life in Italy.
Given its location in northwest Italy, in close proximity to the border with France and Switzerland and just 63 miles from Geneva, it is no surprise that Aosta is ranked number 2 in Wealth and Consumption.
It also has top ten rankings for Environment and Services and Culture and Leisure.
Aosta is the principal city in the region of Aosta Valley, which is bilingual, and one of the five autonomous regions of Italy.
Aosta has a population of about 33,000 people and is situated along the north side of the Dora River.
Number 5 – Bergamo
Bergamo enters the top ten best places to live in Italy for just the second time.
A consistent performer in the six main categories, it’s lofty ranking is due to its strength in Environment and Services, where it is ranked first.
Bergamo is another small city located in Northern Italy, about 28 miles, or 45 kilometers northeast of Milan.
Yes, there is a theme here in these rankings… most of the higher ranked cities are located in the north.
Bergamo has a population of about 120,000 and is positioned between Lakes Como and Iseo.
Given its proximity to Milan and Lake Como, it boasts a number 9 ranking in Wealth and Consumption.
Number 6 – Florence
Florence is no doubt one of the top 3 must visit places in Italy. As the capital of the Tuscany region, and home of the Renaissance, Florence is a bucket list destination.
It is also the southernmost city on this list.
Surprisingly, it has only ranked in the top 3 on this list on two occasions. Last year, it was ranked number 3, so it has fallen three places.
With that said, Florence ranks in the top 10 in four of the six categories, with its highest ranking in Culture and Leisure… no surprise.
What keeps Florence from ranking in the top 10 is Justice and Security.
Given that it is a busy tourist town, petty theft particularly the pick-pocket type, is common in Florence. Florence actually dropped 16 places from last year’s ranking in this category.
However, it’s pretty clear that Florence is one of the best places to live in Italy.
Number 7 – Modena
Modena is a medium sized city just to the northwest of Bologna. It has one top 3 ranking in the history of this survey, and jumped ten spots to its number seven rank in 2023.
What drives this ranking are two top-fives… Wealth and Consumption and Demography and Society.
Modena is known as the Italian capital of automobiles. Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati are all, or were located here, and Ferrari and Maserati are headquartered in Modena or nearby.
Modena is also home to a rich agricultural tradition and some other manufacturers and food processing businesses, including Parmareggio.
Number 8 – Milan
Milan, the second most populous city in Italy and the capital of the Lombardy region, is a perennial contender on this list. It has two top finishes and five seconds.
In this edition of the survey, its position is unchanged from 2022.
Milan is the economic capital of Italy, and not surprisingly, the wealthiest city.
Milan ranks #1 for Business and Work and #2 for Culture and Leisure.
However, given its size and wealth, crime is somewhat high in Milan, which is a common theme among Italy’s biggest cities.
With that said, Milan ranks dead last in the survey in the Justice and Security category, which weighs on its ranking.
Number 9 – Monza
Continuing with the theme of almost all of the high ranked cities located in the north is the city of Monza, which is part of the Milan metropolitan area.
Monza is located just nine miles north of the city center of Milan, and is therefore greatly influenced by Italy’s economic center.
As a result, it ranks number 1 in regard to Wealth and Consumption and number 4 for Business and Work.
Just a quick note here… if you are looking to move to Italy as a means to slowing down, the area around Milan will not be what you are looking for. The culture here is about work, similar to many cities in the U.S.
However, if you are in the U.S. looking for work in Italy in high skilled businesses, this is the area you will likely end up in.
Number 10 – Verona
And rounding out the top ten best places to live in Italy, in terms of quality of life, is Verona.
Located on the River Adige to the east of Lake Garda, Verona is a true gem.
Founded in ancient Roman times, the city flourished as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and is the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
It is a Unesco World Heritage city due to the preservation of a number of monuments dating back to the Romans and through the medieval and Renaissance periods.
Verona reaches the top ten best places to live in Italy by virtue of its number 4 ranking for Demography and Society. It also moved up 44 places from the 2022 survey in the category for Environment and Services.
Final thoughts – the ten best places to live in Italy
I would venture to guess that most of these cities do not come to mind for expats seeking to move to Italy to enjoy la dolce vita.
Keep in mind, these rankings are by Italians and not by tourists.
In our travels to Italy in recent years, we have learned that there is definitely a bias among Italians toward Northern Italy as the place to live, and Southern Italy, not so much.
This is mainly due to the fact that Italian wealth is concentrated in the north.
However, many expats are looking for a slower pace of life, and that is more typically found in Tuscany and further south.
The bottom line is that Italy has something for everyone and if you are considering moving to Italy, you’ll be sure to find what you are looking for.
