The 5 best places to live in Italy

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Expats from North America and the UK who are interested in living in Italy tend to focus on Tuscany and the areas near Rome due to the culture, or regions such as Umbria, Abruzzo, Puglia and Sicily for the lower cost of living.

Many such dreamers ignore factors that drive quality of life, particularly infrastructure and healthcare.

For expats who do not need to work in Italy, the single most important factor that drives your decision on where to live in Italy should be access to quality of healthcare.

Americans in particular tend to take for granted the quality of healthcare we have in the U.S., in spite of the unaffordable cost of health insurance.

In Italy, there is a massive discrepancy in the quality of healthcare between northern Italy and southern Italy.

Four of the top five hospitals are located in northern Italy, while the 5th is located in Rome.  Rome is where we effectively draw the line between northern and southern Italy.

The second major factor that expats should consider when looking to move to Italy is infrastructure.

Infrastructure includes quality of roads, public transportation and internet service.

Again, the infrastructure from Rome northward is substantially better than in southern Italy.

Also, while many people dream of living in a small town in Tuscany or other region, you will need to own a car to get around.

With all this in mind, we’ve performed a good bit of research to arrive at our top five best places to live in Italy.

We’ve considered access to healthcare, infrastructure, culture and affordability among other factors.

To learn more about our criteria, check out this article on choosing where to live in Italy.

Here is our list of best places to live in Italy in no particular order.

Rome

Inside Rome’s Colosseum

Rome has to be considered one of the best places to live in Italy simply due to the access to culture and activities.

However, it is obviously well-connected to the rest of Italy and the world due to its infrastructure (a well-connected airport and train system).

And Rome perennially has one of the three best hospitals in Italy (Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli).

Rome also has a number of other hospitals around the city along with plenty of clinics.

When you add in all of the cultural activities you can find in Rome, it is clearly one of the best places to live in Italy.

The two major drawbacks to living in Rome are the tourist crowds and the high cost of living.

With that said, there are residential neighborhoods to live within Rome’s city limits that are not impacted by the tourism, and these neighborhoods are a bit more affordable than those closer to the city center.

Trento

Trento

Trento is located in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol region in northern Italy near the Alps.

This city of about 120,000 residents is perennially ranked among the top places to live in Italy in regard to overall quality of life as compiled by one of Italy’s top publications.

Trento is one of the best places to work in Italy, it is safe, has excellent healthcare and has plenty of cultural activities.

Trento is also accessible by train, and the nearest airport is about 60 kilometers to the north near Bolzano.

Since it is located so far north, the winters can be quite cold.  However, winter sport enthusiasts will appreciate the access to many nearby ski resorts.

Lecco

Lecco is a province and city located along Lake Como.

Among expats and travelers, it is far less known than the city of Como, but it is ranked slightly higher than Como in the quality of life rankings.

The area around Lake Como in general is considered one of the best areas to live in Italy, in spite of the tourism.

This is due to the outdoor activities available, the history and culture, and access to healthcare.

While Lecco has a robust healthcare system of its own, it is also located close to Milan, which offers three of the best hospitals in all of Italy.

With a population of just over 47,000, it is a smaller city and offers less of a night life, but it is quite safe, and much more affordable than the more popular Como.

Siena

Siena

While Siena is much smaller than its rival city Florence to the north, it is also very rich in its cultural traditions and it is also far more affordable.

While Siena is popular with tourists, it is nowhere near as crowded as its neighbor to the north.

Furthermore, Siena is far more safe than Florence.

Siena also has a very large hospital that serves much of the Tuscany region.

One of the issues for many towns and cities in Tuscany is the lack of rail access.

Siena has its own train station and this provides reasonable train access to Florence, but not to many other towns.

Bologna

Bologna

Bologna just may be the most underrated city in Italy among expats.

With that said, it is well known among Italians as one of the best cities to live in Italy, as it is perennially ranked among the top ten in the quality of life rankings.

Bologna has a rich cultural history and is home to the oldest continually run university in all of Europe (if not the world).

The historic center is quite walkable and offers excellent shopping.

Bologna is also known as the culinary capital of Italy, which is quite amazing given the cultural tradition of the country.

What also sets Bologna apart from other cities in Italy is how well connected it is to the rest of the country.

It is just a 40 minute train ride from Florence, just over an hour from Milan, less than 90 minutes from Venice and just over two hours from Rome.

And if you need a day at the beach, it is just an hour by train from Rimini over on the Adriatic coast.

Furthermore, Bologna has an excellent healthcare system anchored by one of the top five best hospitals in all of Italy.

Finally, among the major cities from Rome up to Milan, Bologna has the most affordable real estate, whether you want to rent or buy.

Final thoughts – the top five best places to live in Italy

And there you have it, our list of the top five best places to live in Italy, which is based primarily on quality of life.

You will not find the cheapest real estate in any of these locations but if you are looking for access to good healthcare, good infrastructure, and plenty of activities, each of these will check off many of your boxes.