The Best Cities To Live In Italy Brief Guide
Ever dreamed of living the ‘la dolce vita‘? Italy, with its rich history, stunning landscapes, and divine cuisine, hosts some of the world’s most livable cities.
Let’s embark on a journey through Italy’s crème de la crème.
Why live in Italy?
A unique fusion of history, culture, and beauty confronts you square in the face in places like Italy.
There is vibrant art, striking architecture, and historical ruins around every corner, especially in the main cities.
In light of this, there are countless attractions and activities to do in the cities of Italy, whether you get lost in Rome’s back alleys, see Naples‘ ornate palaces, or ride a gondola through Venice.
Yet these cities offer so much more than prominent tourist attractions, and you could even discover that the lesser-known places are just as fascinating as the most well-known ones.
Here are Italy’s most attractive cities to live in:
Verona
Romeo and Juliet, as you may know, were well-known and passionate Veronese citizens. However, it is not required to be familiar with Shakespeare to appreciate this wonderfully ancient city.
With several castles, piazzas, and medieval churches, Verona’s historic façade is magnificent.
This city, perhaps one of Italy’s most artistically stunning, is home to several Roman ruins, including the superbly preserved arena.
Although most tourists follow in this famous couple’s footsteps, the seductive architecture is enough to entice them to forget about Shakespeare and get lost in the bustling city.
Venice
Venice’s canals are a method to avoid traffic and the most distinctive way to see this beautiful city.
This city allows you to relax while admiring the passing medieval buildings on a gondola.
Going farther into the city’s churches, piazzas, and palaces, you can also get a closer look at Venetian architecture, which is also quite distinctive.
Additionally, a magical mist lingers over Venice in the winter, and the absence of tourist hordes may make this a much more intimate experience.
In any case, Venice is well-liked for a reason, and this fantastical city never ceases to thrill and enchant!
Bologna
Despite not having the most exemplary reputation, Bologna is undoubtedly one of Italy’s most historically and culturally significant cities.
Bologna has the oldest university in Italy and has some of the best cuisines.
In many respects, the city has two halves, with ambitious and high-tech districts like Po Valley on the one hand and the far more refined and academic city center on the other.
Both sides feature top-notch restaurants and a vibrancy partly due to the energetic and youthful university population.
Best Cities To Work In Italy
Turin
Turin is close to Milan, Geneva, Lyon, and Nice. More than 800,000 people are living in Turin.
It is a beautiful city with a kind community, many cultural events, parks, museums, and an excellent public transportation system.
The location of your workplace and the accessibility of public or private transportation to get there should help you decide where in the city you want to reside.
This will give you the best chance of finding employment.
Glassdoor, Linked In, and The Local all provide job postings for Turin.
Milan
Milan is a financial metropolis recognized for its upscale restaurants and boutiques, in addition to being the world’s capital of fashion and design and the location of the national stock exchange.
Italy’s largest employment center in Milan.
Florence
Continually travels, to attract tourists, Florence was built. Most likely, the hotel industry would provide foreigners with professional opportunities.
According to an ex-pat who went to Italy, the simplest way to obtain a job legally is to work for one of the big hotels in the US first, then try to get transferred abroad.
The following websites provide English-speaking job seekers with Florence employment opportunities: Florence jobs are listed on Hosco and Linked In, in addition to the US Embassy in Italy. Jobs in Florence at the US Consulate and on Glassdoor
Best Place To Live In Italy For Families
Everyone who relocates to Italy, especially families, may find something to enjoy.
You must decide where you want to live in a nation with tranquil rural communities, ski resorts in the Alps, lakeside communities, and beachfront estates in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.
So, where in Italy are the ideal locations for raising a family?
Milan
Rome may be Italy’s political capital, but Milan, the nation’s financial and industrial hub, should be considered if job prospects factor in your family’s decision to relocate there.
The city is the ideal option for ex-pats wishing to work in Italy because it is one of the economic centers of the EU generally, attracts many remote workers, and has many established enterprises and startups.
Milan is regarded as Italy’s most incredible city due to its high quality of life and its reputation for employment.
Milan is very international, with up to a fifth of its people being foreigners, which is not surprising considering its economic prominence.
Finding other ex-pats and integrating your family into the city’s vibrant social scene shouldn’t be difficult.
Milan offers a wide range of top-notch foreign schools and children’s first-rate public education system. Your kids might become more used to Italian culture than you did!
You might be wondering why you bother drafting a list when there are so many advantages to the city, but there is one drawback: Milan is notoriously pricey.
You may lessen this by relocating to the city’s outskirts, which are well-connected by public transportation and may provide your family with a far cheaper alternative.
Palermo
If Milan doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps the capital of Sicily would. Perhaps the moderate environment just south of the Alps is too mild for you; yet, the Mediterranean island’s consistently warm and sunny weather is guaranteed to satisfy.
There is a reason why Palermo is so well-liked by ex-pats from northern Europe, and if your family enjoys being in the sun and surrounding nature, Sicily is hard to beat.
Palermo, slightly smaller than Milan in terms of population, is Sicily’s commercial center and home to an increasing number of remote workers.
If the sun, sea, and surrounding beauty call out to your family, Palermo is the most excellent place to look for employment.
Your family will experience a true Mediterranean lifestyle in Palermo, which offers an unrivaled gastronomic and cultural legacy combined with stunning architecture and bustling streets.
Unmatched in the nation is the cultural and historical richness of Sicily as a whole. The island has experienced various civilizations, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Goths to the Saracens, the Spanish to the French, and eventually to a united Italy.
Palermo’s vibrant southern Italian culture and exceptional vitality set it apart from other cities.
Although Palermo would be the ideal location for your family to get an authentic Italian experience, Sicilians often have relatively weak English language skills.
Trento
Since not everyone enjoys living in a city, Trento is a good option if your family seeks somewhere a little more laid back.
Trento is a tiny, serene city encircled by stunning natural scenery, with the Alps to the north providing a never-ending background of breathtaking beauty.
Do you enjoy skiing? Would your family want to learn to ski? Driving distances from some of the top European ski destinations, with resident winter savings!
Trento prides pride in being an environmentally friendly city, which is essential to keep in mind if you’re moving there for the surrounding landscape.
It is also a friendly and welcoming place for families. The city has top-notch public schools.
Despite its size, finding a job shouldn’t be difficult because it has a thriving business community and is an important center for education, science, finance, and politics in Northern Italy.
However, compared to other metropolises, the city offers fewer private schooling possibilities for your kids. If you want a quiet life with decent living standards for your family, Trento is hard to top in Italy.
The cheapest places to live in Italy
Italy is among the most sought-after locations in Europe for anyone wishing to relocate there.
It has one of the most sumptuous cuisines in the world, along with a tonne of charm and history.
In this article, we’ll examine the most cost-effective Italian cities and determine which ones provide the most value for money while maintaining a good standard of living.
Padova
Padova is one location that strikes a solid mix between price and high quality of life, also known as Padua.
With a distance of around 40 kilometers and rail connections that take less than 30 minutes, you can experience Venice without having to cope with the excessive expense of living in one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.
However, Padova is a beautiful city on its own. Anyone who enjoys smaller, less hectic towns may choose this historic town with its piazzas, bridges, and winding old streets.
It is now listed as the best Italian city for digital nomads by NomadList, with high marks for entertainment, affordability, internet availability, and safety.
Estimated Costs of Living– 1100 Euros per month
The cost of living in the five cities mentioned in this post will vary significantly from person to person. Thus it should only be used as a comparison tool and not as an exact number.
Spending less than someone living alone in a nice neighborhood is the case for students, those who are content to share a flat with others, and those who are willing to live a little beyond the city center.
As a result, although some people can make do with less than the amounts mentioned, others may require considerably more.
Our numbers do not represent a budget for a high-end way of living. Despite being on a limited budget, there are still enough liberties to experience and appreciate local life in Italy thoroughly.
Turin
Turin (also known as Torino) can be your best option if you want to live in a large city but can’t afford the few hundred additional euros it would cost to live in Rome or Milan.
Despite being the fourth-largest city in Italy and slightly under a million population, Turin is surprisingly affordable to live in, given its position in the country’s prosperous north.
In addition to the usual comforts and advantages of living in a large city, Turin’s location at the foot of the Italian Alps offers a variety of options for getting outside and appreciating nature.
In addition to providing many excellent nearby options for hiking in the summer or skiing in the winter, the city hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006.
Although Turin may not have the same allure as Rome or Florence, it is nevertheless a desirable place to reside because of Juventus, Italy’s most successful football team, and its famed Baroque architecture.
Turin’s position as a large industrial and technological center is also crucial for individuals considering a long-term stay and indicates that it could continue to grow in the years to come.
Estimated Costs of living – 1150 Euros per month
Bari
Bari, situated on the Adriatic coast in the nation’s southeast, is another of Italy’s most affordable cities.
Foreigners seeking much lower rent and living expenses than those in places like Milan and Rome are increasingly making the area of Apulia’s capital one of their top travel destinations.
Its medieval old town has recently undergone restoration and sprucing up, and a variety of fantastic late-night dining and drinking alternatives have been added.
With more cruise ships stopping in Bari, which has traditionally been an important port city for travelers between Italy and the Balkans, the city has made significant efforts to improve the safety of a once-a little sketchy city center.
Like Palermo, it’s a fantastic choice for anyone who values a seaside location, a pleasant temperature, and a low cost of living.
Estimated Costs of living – 975 Euros/month
Most expensive places to live in Italy
It is no accident that Italy, a nation with a rich history, renowned landmarks, and unending natural beauty, is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world.
Italy has always been a popular vacation and permanent resident destination due to its rich artistic legacy, stunning scenery, and way of life.
Many people want to know about the cost of living in Italy and if it is pricey. However, the response is not as straightforward as a yes or no.
The cost of living in Rome is different from the cost of living in Palermo. Therefore generalizing and discussing the entire nation is absurd.
Milan is the city with the highest cost of living. At the same time, Naples has the lowest cost of food shopping, according to a study by Codacons that compared the costs of various commodities and services to examine the cost of living in major Italian towns.
The Codacons cost-of-living study evaluated costs for various goods and services, including dentists, hair salons, and bars, ranging from meat to fruits and vegetables.
While Naples has the most significant waste rate in Italy (507.96 euros), which is 148% higher than Trento’s, the average cost of food in Milan is 99.24 euros, compared to 67.58 euros in Naples.
Additionally, whereas an espresso typically costs € 1.24 in Trento, it only costs € 0.82 in Catanzaro.
In contrast, Palermo has the lowest cost of a dental visit at 66 euros as opposed to 174 euros in Aosta.
Additionally, a private gynecologist appointment in the south of Italy is less expensive, costing roughly 80 euros in Naples and 95 euros in Catanzaro as opposed to 155 euros in Trento and Milan.
Conclusion
So there you have it – Italy’s finest cities to call home. Each offers a unique blend of culture, history, and modernity, promising an enriching expat experience.
Pack your bags and get ready to immerse yourself in the Italian lifestyle!
Happy Moving!
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