Tuscany is beautiful… but it’s not the best place to live in Italy.
In this video, I break down the 5 best regions to live or retire in Italy, based on lifestyle, cost of living, culture, weather, community, and long-term quality of life.
And at the end, I reveal a secret bonus region that most foreigners never even think about — but might be the best value in the entire country.
Whether you’re planning to retire in Italy, start a new life here after 50, or simply dreaming about where you could live one day… this guide will help you understand the real differences between Italy’s regions.
This is the honest, practical version most videos don’t tell you.
⭐ What You’ll Learn in This Video
• Which Italian regions offer the best quality of life
• Affordable areas with beautiful landscapes
• Where foreigners feel most welcome
• The real downsides no one talks about
• A hidden region that feels like Tuscany… for much less
📌 Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
00:47– Region #1: Tuscany
01:45 – Region #2: Lombardy
02:47 – Region #3: Piedmont
03:31 – Region #4: Puglia
04:13 – Region #5: Sicily
04:55 – Bonus Region: The Secret No One Talks About
🌍 Pros & Cons of Each Region (Short Summary)
Tuscany
Beauty, culture, food, lifestyle
– Expensive, crowded, tourist-heavy
Lombardy
Healthcare, jobs, lakes, transport
– Expensive, fast-paced, colder
Piedmont
Affordable homes, wine, elegance, authenticity
– Quiet, colder winters, car needed
Puglia
Beaches, sun, low cost of living
– Hot summers, weak transport, bureaucracy
Sicily
Extremely affordable, warm people, amazing landscapes
– Limited infrastructure, heat, distance from mainland
Bonus: Umbria
Tuscany-like beauty for much less
– Very rural, smaller expat community
🏡 Thinking About Moving to Italy? Start Here:
👉 Can You Live in Italy on €1500 a Month?
👉 The REAL Cost of Living in Italy
👉 How Renting Works in Italy (What You Must Know)
🇮🇹 About This Channel
I’m documenting my journey toward building A New Life in Italy after 50 — planning, researching, budgeting, and discovering the reality of moving to Italy.
If you’re dreaming of doing the same, consider joining this growing community.
🙏 Support the Channel
If you found this helpful, please subscribe, like, and share your questions in the comments. I read every one.
42 Comments
Which region surprised you the most — and where would you want to live in Italy? 🇮🇹
I’m curious to hear your thoughts, especially after seeing the pros and cons of each area.
Veneto
Buon Video !!!
We fell in love with Cortona and Montepulciano.
by lake garda. it is amazing there.
I cannot belive you forgot Say about huge italian problemi: mafie. Best Place Is Sudtirol, that Is not Italy actually…
Very interesting video, thanks for posting. Two other regions I am interested in exploring are Abruzzo and Veneto. Especially Abruzzo…
Marche
You can choose whatever region you want in Italy .. You'll never made the wrong choice
buon filmato, ma sono state trascurate altre regioni interessanti, le Marche, l''Abruzzo, il Lazio, la Sardegna, la Calabria etc………..
Good, don't advertise Tuscany, we have already too many Muricans..😂
The pronunciation of Sicilia is not "Sit Ilia" but "Si TCHilia"😉
I have been to Milan more than once. Total disappointment back then and now, don't go there. 12/2025
Andare a vivere in Sicilia o in Puglia o al sud in generale? Auguri 😂
Non lo consiglierei nemmeno al mio peggior nemico
I would say that you’ve made some unexpected and unusual choices. Italy as a whole is full of distinctive and often enchanting places. There are also significant differences in the character of the people from each region, as well as in the dialects, so much so that communication can become difficult when Italians from different areas speak strictly in their own dialects.
I would have at least mentioned Emilia-Romagna, which arguably has the best cuisine in Italy and boasts beautiful cities such as Bologna and Parma. As for me, I am from Veneto, I live in Veneto, and I’m very fond of my region. It has a temperate climate and gentle yet varied landscapes: we have the sea, lakes, hills, and mountains for skiing, hiking, and even more demanding sports like rock climbing. And then there is my city, Padua, beautiful and full of fascinating artistic treasures.
There Absolutely Beautiful
greetings from Ireland….we are the Latins of the North. Can you please make a similar video for the linguistics of the different regions. For a person wishing to speak Italian, which regions are the easiest ( Tuscany) ? and which regions the most difficult to understand the locals. Not just in terms of 'how difficult is the local dialect', but also how prevalent is the local dialect on the streets. For example…..an italian wishing to visit the British Isles can be advised that Irish-Gaelic is very difficult but not a problem cos you won't hear it much in Ireland….whereas North Wales is very Welsh speaking, and although all the locals have also perfect English, they will often choose to speak Welsh among each other. And Glasgow, Scotland ? the English there is like a totally different language. Please make a linguistic guide for the best and worst Italian regions for us foreigners whose Italian is often only very basic.
L'Italia è degli italiani. Non siete più i benvenuti.
Abruzzo, I'm a man of the mountains. I bought a house in Subequana valley and can't have enough of it.
As a foreigner, I own a small pied-à-terre in a tiny and stunning mountain town in Abruzzo, ideal for vacations close to nature and hiking. But as I get older, I have come to favor a milder climate for a forever home, and Puglia beckons….
Hello, thank you for your video…My parents were born in Bari, Puglia region… I am trying to get my dual citizenship (I’m Canadian)…it’s been a year process and may take another year to know the outcome… I love Lombardi and Umbria… I also like Emilia-Romagn and Veneto Region…; what are your thoughts on these regions..maybe one day…I’ll be able to make my move… ❤
Thank you for this because ill be looking for a vacation destination/ move soon.
Marche🇮🇹❤️🍷
I became a Resident of Castiglione del Lago Perugia….close to Perugia Airport and town on major Train line
Thank you for this video. I plan to partially retire in Italy in 2 years. I lived in Milan and Piemonte (Bossolasco) for ten years and am fluent in Italian. I do not want to be where there is cold weather and have been looking in the south. The only place I have not been to is Puglia and it sounds like the spot for me, warm weather, near water, low cost, and good seafood.
Just watched my first podcast of yours. So interesting and honest. I am "new world" but I now live in France, close to Italy, and I regularly make day trips to Liguria. It is hard to get to Piemonte without a car, but I am even more curious, and determined now, having listened to your description. I have some time to work on my Italian, which I love, and to get a change in my visa, which will allow me to make long term visits to Italy. So thanks for an inside view of your amazing and beautiful country.
Umbria is definitely my number one! Way better than Tuscany.
I am coming to Italy to live okay thank you
A territory of 301,340 square kilometers (116,350 sq mi), for 59 millions of Italians, excluding tourists. ITALY IS FULL. Please refrain from permanently moving here, thanks.
Roma? 😮
Napoli ? 😮
Basilicata was one of the prettiest I have been to , north was too European and coasts too crowded and the south simply felt the most Italian except at the sole where only cactus grows and it’s 40degree 😂 Basilicata was chill and the Panacotta Cake absolutely delicious because it was Self made 👌
Is bologna a good city for live? I'm thinking to move to Italy next year.
Good performance, thank you. Especially the choice of Umbria, the small brother of Tuscany. Very much worth it, for a friendly price. No immediate sea, but a lot of quiet lovely places worth of relaxing and living.
I bought a small fine house there in a 900 years old charming fortress – without any traffic or disturbing noice. Only nice views, only friendly open hearted people.
Puglia, I think ❤❤❤
I am lombard with Tuscan roots.
But Umbria is probably my fav region in Italy
Obviously Puglia except for the northern part of the region
Well, Piedmont lowers our status as a welcoming, socially and culturally minded people (and formidable lovers, nonetheless!) in the eyes of the world. They're hardly recognizable as italians.
Honestly if you come here on your own you're going to stay lonely until you'll be fed up and leave or take your life.
Beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful land, but not for socially healthy people, makes me want to head to Turin and dive right onto its violent criminality, dirty streets and homelessness, just to find a few still beating hearts to warm up my own.
Thanks for the kind reviews on my homeland though, wish you a happy 2026 and best of luck!
A house in Piemonte for less than 100k??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ok, for a nice unrestructured house but with some potential, you should triple that amont. Or perhaps you’re 30 years behind…
Sicily, Sardinia or Campania. I like Abruzzo too for the mountains
Where would be the best place to live in Italy if you have mobility issues?
Sicily. It has stolen my heart and won't give it back.
Genoa ?