What is the happiest city in Italy?
The ranking that measures the well-being of our population, the Italian one, can offer quite significant surprises. Last year the province of Udine won and earned the podium. Until today, the province of Udine has not shone: it was, according to Il Sole 24 Ore, only three times in the Italian top 10. But recently, the quality of life in the Friulian province has increased enormously.
Second after Udine is the province of Bologna. Our university town par excellence can boast of excellent services, a large amount of entertainment and cultural activities, top healthcare by Italian standards, and an efficient economy.
Bologna already won first place in 2022, so the second place in 2023 should be seen as a confirmation, not an exceptional event. Il Sole 24 Ore always writes that Bologna remains in the lead in the Demography, Health, and Society category. Better than Trento, Milan, and Udine itself. That’s all. What about third place?
On the third step on the podium, we find Trento. And this success certainly does not surprise us either. On the other hand, the city of Trentino has excelled for decades in sports, and services, but also in safety, education, and the efficiency of public structures and services.
What is the best place to live in Italy?
As mentioned above, the top three Italian provinces for quality of life in 2023 are Udine, Bologna, and Trento in third place. That all three are in the north is symptomatic of the north-south divide that has always characterized our country, both in terms of wealth and job opportunities, as well as the quality of services and security.
For these reasons, if we take into account the indices used to compile the quality of life ranking, northern Italy is certainly an advantageous place compared to the south. But there are big differences even within the North itself: the East is significantly richer than the West, and there are also significant differences in terms of the efficiency of services.
