Italian cities for relocation

Lombardia

Italy's most expensive and most "European" city: a business pace, IT and creative industries, the best transport links. By the community it suits young professionals and remote workers with income, but it is hard on families and on anyone watching their budget.

Lazio

The capital with endless history and culture, noticeably cheaper than Milano, especially if you live outside the ring road or in the Lazio suburbs. By the community it works for families on a tighter budget, but it is chaotic: garbage, bureaucracy, a weak market for skilled work.

Piemonte

A big northern city noticeably cheaper than Milano, with a strong and warm Russian-speaking community. The community often compares it to St. Petersburg: parks, a calm pace, mountains and skiing nearby. It suits families and remote workers, though some districts feel tense.

Lombardia

A resort town on the famous lake by the Swiss border: beautiful, with a mild climate, but expensive and short on affordable housing. By the community it suits remote workers and well-off families; there is a noticeable Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking community, mostly around the English schools.

Veneto

A unique city on the water, but living on the island itself is expensive and "museum-like". By the community it makes more sense to settle in Mestre on the mainland: noticeably cheaper, frequent trains (about 20 minutes) and a handy hub for Padova, Verona and all of Veneto. It suits students and those ready for the tourist crush.

Toscana

The cradle of the Renaissance with a strong English-speaking expat scene, but expensive and overloaded with tourists. By the community it suits artists, students and those coming for a year or two for the culture and the English-speaking environment; the Russian-speaking community here is secondary.

Lombardia

A city an hour from Milano that the community praises for quality of life: cleaner, greener and cheaper than the Lombardy capital, with a beautiful old town up on the hill. A strong Russian-speaking community, good schools and a low-cost airport. It suits families and remote workers who do not want to pay for Milano.

Veneto

A romantic historic city in Veneto, conveniently set between Lake Garda, the Alps and Venice. By the community it has mid-range northern prices, English is widely used, a pleasant environment; but the questura is notorious for extremely long permesso waits.

Campania

A loud, colourful southern city by the sea with cheap food and deep history. By the community it is cheaper than the north, the locals are friendly, but its reputation for dirt and safety is mixed, and the market for skilled work is weak. It suits lovers of the south, the sea and remote workers.

Emilia-Romagna

A student capital with Europe's oldest university, compact and easy to live in without a car. By the community it has a young pace and a good location, but the rental market is geared to students, and the Russian-speaking community outside the student scene is weak.

Liguria

A port city and the gateway to Liguria: the sea, a mild climate, prices below Milano and Rome. By the community it is an option for those who want the sea but not a tiny town; the downsides are the difficult terrain (slopes, narrow streets) and an extremely tight rental market across all of Liguria.

Sicilia

The capital of Sicily: baroque architecture, a warm climate and low prices by Italian standards. By the community it is an option for lovers of the south and the sea with remote income; the downsides are a chaotic, sometimes shabby city, a weak job market and a small Russian-speaking community.

Puglia

A seaside city in Puglia and a popular pick for residenza elettiva: one of the cheapest locations in Italy, friendly locals, a calm pace. By the community it suits families and those living on passive income; the downsides are slow bureaucracy and mostly manual work.

Veneto

A calm university city in Veneto that families choose for its schools and convenient geography: 40 minutes to the sea, 1.5-2 hours to the Alps, Venice nearby. By the community English is widely used because of the students, but the Russian-speaking community here is small and mostly "educational".

Trentino-Alto Adige

A mountain city in the autonomous Trentino region: clean, organized, with excellent schools and nature for hiking and skiing. By the community prices are more affordable than many northern places, but finding long-term housing, especially with children, can be very hard - which is why many end up leaving.

Sicilia

Sicily's second-largest city at the foot of Etna, with cheap living and a hot climate. By the community it is cheap, but work is scarce and summers are very hot; there is less living-data here than for the north, so it is more an option for remote workers and lovers of the south.

Liguria

A Ligurian port town of about 60 thousand people that the community sums up as "small, but it has everything". One of the mildest climates in Italy, the sea and a promenade, with prices below the big cities. It suits families and remote workers; the main obstacle is landing a long-term rental.

Abruzzo

A modern, young city on the Adriatic: about 11 km of city beach, a great promenade and an airport right inside the city. By the community life is inexpensive and comfortable year-round, but skilled work is scarce and there are no international schools. It suits families with remote income and sea lovers.

Emilia-Romagna

The capital of the Adriatic riviera: a wide sandy beach, a handsome promenade, a water park and a University of Bologna campus. By the community the city has two faces - tourist crowds and doubled prices in summer, a quiet student town off season. It suits those who enjoy the resort pace and want the sea within an hour of Bologna.

Toscana

Tuscany's student city: a university with a foundation year, plenty of young people, a wide river, the sea half an hour away and an airport right inside the city. By the community it often absorbs those who could not crack the Florence market. It suits students and anyone wanting Tuscany without Florence prices.

Lombardia

A Milan in miniature, as the community puts it: a small historic centre, a huge park with the royal villa and 20 minutes by train to Milano. Newcomers jokingly call it their commuter-belt town. It suits families who work in Milano but want a calm, green city.

Lombardia

A quiet university town south of Milano: by the community it is "mostly students and pensioners", half the town rides bicycles, and Milano is about half an hour away. The university's foundation year is a common entry point for Russian students with no Italian. It suits students and families wanting a calm town near Milano.

Lombardia

A green town of about 80 thousand between the lakes and the Alpine foothills, an hour by train to Milano. By the community it is a family choice: after a metropolis it feels small, yet "does not get boring". It suits families with kids and remote workers who want nature with Milano in reach.

Trentino-Alto Adige

The capital of autonomous South Tyrol: a bilingual German-Italian city at the foot of the Dolomites, orderly and prosperous. By the community the main catch is the "snail-paced" bureaucracy and a tiny housing market. It suits mountain lovers with a stock of patience and, ideally, some German.

Emilia-Romagna

The gastronomic capital of Emilia: the homeland of parmesan and prosciutto, a university city where half the town cycles. By the community life is prosperous and well-fed, but summers are very hot and there is no real winter. It suits families and anyone who values food, a measured pace and the north without Milano prices.

Liguria

A port city of eastern Liguria at the gates of the Cinque Terre: a palm-lined promenade, mountain views, tidy streets and modern playgrounds. By the community the city is "not too touristy" - which is exactly why real Italian life shows through. It suits families and anyone wanting the sea without resort bustle.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

A Habsburg port on the Slovenian border: Austrian, "un-Italian" architecture, the sea, the Barcolana sailing regatta and a university. By the community the two main catches are the winter bora wind and a paperwork-strict questura. It suits Mitteleuropa lovers ready for the winds and unhurried bureaucracy.

Lombardia

Lombardy's second city, 100 km from Milano: hard-working, industrial Brescia with an unexpectedly rich historic core - the Santa Giulia museum, the castle above town, churches with Titians. Community opinion is polarized: some are delighted, others find it drab. It suits those hunting work and a north cheaper than Milano; lake Garda is nearby.

Liguria

The resort capital of western Liguria, about 52 thousand people: the city of the festival, the casino and an old Russian history. By the community Sanremo is "social and wealthy", and its Russian-speaking diaspora is among the most rooted on the Riviera. It suits those wanting Riviera life with a familiar circle - and ready to pay for it.