Where to settle in Italy if quality of life is paramount

If moving overseas as an expat is all about quality of life, the Italian lifestyle is as good as it gets, provided you’ve selected the most suitable smaller city or town.

Italy may well be Europe’s most romantic place for a permanent lifestyle change, but all depends on your choice of town or city. No matter where in the world you’re heading, your selection of the exact location is important, and never more so than in Italy. Its towns, cities and regions all vary greatly as regards style and quality of life, and your future happiness will depend on your understanding of what’s on offer and where.

If big city life is essential, Milan gives as good as it gets, with a recent survey placing it at the top pf the list for expats. It’s a cultural as well as business hub and offers the best employment opportunities, but it’s not so popular in the lifestyle category. In fact, it was rated as one of the worst cities in the world for expats and, amazingly, Rome was also in the same sector, especially as regards its hostile political climate. Low salaries and a lack of job satisfaction were also mentioned.

Would-be expats, it seems, move to Italy due to its romantic reputation as the land of song, wine and delicious food, but soon realise they’ve made a mistake when they consider low salaries, long working hours, poor career prospects and a decline in the country’s standard of living. According to expats who’re there and wish they weren’t, most incomers fall for the major cities’ history, image of love and other non-objective reasons but, once they’re there, reality kicks in and they struggle to fit in and find employment.

However, there’s more to this fascinating country than bad news, as incoming expats who’ve selected one of Italy’s smaller towns or cities seem to have won out, as these regularly come top in quality of life surveys. Even so, it’s best to avoid tourist hotspots as there’s an anti-tourism wave taking place in some of the most popular. Smaller towns are still topping quality of life surveys, especially as they’re known for their lower rentals and excellent public services, as well as their welcoming locals. For many would-be expat residents, small cities located within easy travel of major hubs such as Venice are lively, historic and simply beautiful, giving the quality of life that’s the reason for Italy as a first choice.