RANKED: The 'best and worst' Italian cities to live in

Bergamo residents can say they live in the Italian city with the best quality of life – at least according to the latest survey compiled by Italy’s financial newspaper of record Il Sole 24 Ore. 

Currently in its 24th edition, this is among the most respected annual quality of life surveys conducted in Italy, with rankings based on a total of 90 indicators relative to six different macro-areas: wealth; business and employment; environment and services; demographics, society and health; justice and safety; culture and leisure.

Bergamo, Lombardy, took the top spot from last year’s winner Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, after coming in fifth in the 2023 edition.

Trento and its neighbour Bolzano ranked second and third respectively, with Monza and Cremona, both in the northern Lombardy region, completing the top five.

Positions six to ten were occupied by Udine, Verona, Vicenza, Bologna and Ascoli Piceno. 

Italy’s economic powerhouse Milan came in 12th place, whereas Rome ranked 59th – down by 24 spots compared to 2023.

Among other major cities, Florence dropped down to 36th from 6th, whereas Venice came in 46th. 

Campania’s capital Naples was second to last (106th out of 107). It was preceded by Crotone and followed by Reggio Calabria.

Four of the ten worst-ranked Italian cities were located in the southern Calabria region. 

The findings showed a marked north-south divide in quality of life standards, with just one southern city – Sardinia’s capital Cagliari – figuring in the top 50. 

All of the 20 worst-ranked cities (positions 87 to 107) belonged to southern regions.

The authors of the survey said the findings confirmed that “disparities between the north and south of the peninsula are now deeply rooted”.

READ ALSO: North vs south: Where's the best place to live in Italy?

Though the annual ranking by Il Sole 24 Ore does not include smaller towns and rural areas, it is regarded by experts as representative of quality of life standards across the country, as most public services, including local government offices, and larger hospitals and healthcare facilities are generally located in provincial capitals.

Here’s the complete ranking of all of Italy's 107 provincial capitals, from best to worst:

1. Bergamo
2. Trento
3. Bolzano
4. Monza
5. Cremona
6. Udine
7. Verona
8. Vicenza
9. Bologna
10. Ascoli Piceno
11. Como
12. Milano
13. Forlì Cesena
14. Lecco
15. Siena
16. Pordenone
17. Aosta
18. Padova
19. Trieste
20. Brescia
21. Modena
22. Varese
23. Mantova
24. Treviso
25. Macerata
26. Parma
27. Ravenna
28. Reggio Emilia
29. Lodi
30. Sondrio
31. Prato
32. Novara
33. Piacenza
34. Pisa
35. Ancona
36. Firenze
37. Cuneo
38. Pesaro e Urbino
39. Gorizia
40. Perugia
41. Arezzo
42. Rimini
43. Pavia
44. Cagliari
45. Belluno
46. Venezia
47. Fermo
48. Terni
49. Asti
50. Biella
51. Ferrara
52. La Spezia
53. Rovigo
54. Genova
55. Pescara
56. Grosseto
57. Teramo
58. Torino
59. Roma
60. Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
61. Pistoia
62. Livorno
63. Vercelli
64. Alessandria
65. Bari
66. Viterbo
67. L’Aquila
68. Lucca
69. Savona
70. Massa-Carrara
71. Chieti
72. Lecce
73. Avellino
74. Rieti
75. Oristano
76. Benevento
77. Latina
78. Sassari
79. Imperia
80. Campobasso
81. Ragusa
82. Frosinone
83. Catania
84. Matera
85. Trapani
86. Barletta-Andria-Trani
87. Nuoro
88. Potenza
89. Brindisi
90. Catanzaro
91. Messina
92. Salerno
93. Sud Sardegna
94. Taranto
95. Isernia
96. Agrigento
97. Enna
98. Caltanissetta
99. Foggia
100. Palermo
101. Caserta
102. Cosenza
103. Vibo Valentia
104. Siracusa
105. Crotone
106. Napoli
107. Reggio Calabria