Where to live in Italy

Every year, official figures from Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) are used to draw up a ranking of the richest municipalities in Italy, based on declared personal income tax (IRPEF).What often surprises people is that the places topping the list are not the big urban heavyweights.

Sardinia is consistently among the top destinations for luxury vacations in Italy. In recent years, several locations in the northwest, southwest, and the Cagliari metropolitan area have seen significant increases in house prices per square meter.

Italy consistently ranks as one of Europe’s most desirable places to live.

If you’re dreaming of a proper family holiday in Italy with beach time, the best beach towns in Italy for families make a trip away with the kids surprisingly easy. Most are set up for long lunches, slow evenings on the passeggiata and whole days under a rented umbrella, as long as you pick som

In 2026, remote workers are choosing smaller Italian towns over Rome and Milan. With faster fibre internet, lower rent, digital nomad visa stability, and exceptional quality of life, places like Bologna, Lecce, Turin, and Palermo are becoming Italy’s most attractive and affordable remote work destinations.

If you’ve been daydreaming about a place by the sea but don’t fancy paying Amalfi Coast prices, there are still options out there.

Many make a move for a lifestyle change, and the natural beauty of Italy makes it one of the most desirable places to settle.

Living in Tuscany still tops a lot of wish lists. When people start looking at the best places to live in Tuscany, they tend to focus on practicality rather than postcard looks alone.

If you’ve spent any time scrolling “1 euro house Italy” on YouTube, you’ve probably seen 1-euro house schemes in Sardinia pop up a lot.

Thinking about spending your retirement in Italy? You’re not the only one. Interest from UK, US and German retirees has climbed steadily in recent years, as more people look for a mix of sunshine, slower living and good healthcare.

Italy isn’t just for long weekends in Rome or selfies in Venice anymore. According to International Living, Italy ranks firmly in the top ten places to retire.

Ski season in Italy always creeps up fast, and for some people, a week on the slopes isn’t enough. Living full‑time in an Italian ski resort means fresh snow on your doorstep, cool summers in the mountains, and a very different rhythm to city life.

If you’ve been daydreaming about 1 euro houses in Italy near the sea in 2026, you’re not the only one. The idea of swapping rent or a big mortgage for a fixer‑upper in a coastal Italian town is wildly tempting, especially if you already spend your evenings scrolling through listings.

Not everyone dreams of living on Lake Como with superyachts and five‑star hotels in the background.

Living in an Italian wine region is very different to popping in for a tasting on holiday. Daily life runs on the rhythm of the vines, with tractors as your morning soundtrack and grape harvests filling the lanes in autumn.

Living in Bergamo feels a bit like stepping into a quieter, more low‑key cousin of Milan that happens to have a medieval hilltop town attached. You have the UNESCO‑listed old town sitting on its hill, the modern city spread out below, and the Alps rising in the distance.

Living in Bolzano feels a bit like slipping into a pocket of Austria that somehow ended up in Italy. It’s closer in spirit to Innsbruck than Naples, with street signs in Italian and German and the Dolomites looming over the city.

Liguria’s residential property market is attracting increasing attention, offering excellent opportunities for anyone looking to buy in Genoa and the surrounding areas.

Italy’s big survey by a respected national financial newspaper is a handy starting point if you are trying to pin down the best places to live in Italy for quality of life.

Living in Tuscany means swapping rush‑hour habits for a slower, more grounded rhythm. In central Italy’s patchwork of Renaissance cities and sleepy hill towns, days settle into a loop of coffee at the bar, market errands and long lunches that quietly steer the week.

Living in Lazio means waking to Rome’s cobbles, slipping off for salty‑air Saturdays, lingering over lunch, then swapping to crisp winter hikes when the season turns. It’s an easy rhythm of city, coast and countryside, with market days, trattorie and ancient stones as your everyday backdrop.

Picture a medieval Tuscan hill village where the council helps pay for your move—up to €20,000 towards buying a home. Olive groves, proper trattorie and a calmer rhythm without big‑city aggro.

Up in the Siena hills, Radicondoli is the kind of Tuscan village where evenings still revolve around the piazza and summer theatre spills into courtyards.

If you’re thinking about living in Lucca, this small Tuscan city delivers a big daily-life dividend. Its intact Renaissance walls form a leafy ring for walking or cycling, the lanes inside are calm and flat, and cafés cluster around Piazza dell’Anfiteatro and San Michele in Foro.

Naples is a city of contrasts: historic streets and modern elegance, vibrant urban life and serene seafront vistas.