Here at The Local, we're an international team living in Italy – which means we've either grown up navigating Italian bureaucracy or been through the simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking process of moving countries. You can sign up to receive our special Moving to Italy newsletter in your inbox before we publish. Just use the sign-up box below or go to your newsletter options.
If you follow the annual rankings of the Italian towns and cities with the highest quality of life, it won’t be news to you that the north of the country usually comes out on top.
Bolzano and Trento are the provincial capitals that usually vie for first place thanks to their efficient public services, mountainous surroundings, and low levels of pollution.
But when it comes to preferred destinations among foreign buyers, recent data from real estate listing site Gate-away indicates the south is king.
The whitewashed town of Ostuni in the southern region of Puglia was the most-searched location in 2025, with eight of the top ten also located in the centre-south.
Here are the parts of Italy where foreigners are most interested in buying right now.
The surprising places foreigners moving to Italy want to live
Italy’s digital nomad visa, or DNV, was finally implemented in 2024 after a two-year wait – and while applicants say it’s no easy task to get one, making enough money to qualify is far from the biggest obstacle.
After Spain recently lifted the minimum income threshold for its DNV to €2,849 per month, we were curious to know how Italy’s requirement compares to those set by other countries.
Italy requires DNV applicants to earn at least three times the minimum needed to qualify for exemption from public healthcare co-payments, which currently amounts to around €25,000 per year.
That places it on the low end of the spectrum compared to countries like Estonia, Malta or Greece – though you may end up paying through the nose for all the documents needed to complete your application.
Digital nomad visa: How does Italy's income requirement compare?
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