Italy’s digital transformation continues to advance, with the latest ICity Rank 2025 survey showing strong progress across dozens of municipalities. The annual report, published by Forum PA and presented at FORUM PA Città in Rome, ranks the digital performance of Italy’s 108 provincial capitals across three indices: Digital Administrations, Open Municipalities and Connected Cities.
The Connected Cities index focuses on digital infrastructure such as broadband networks, sensors and data analytics systems, highlighting where cities are most ready for the future.
Here’s a look at the top five Italian cities leading the digital infrastructure ranking in 2025:
1. Bologna
Bologna topped the Connected Cities category, scoring highly on digital infrastructure and urban connectivity — including network coverage and smart city services. The city joins Florence, Milan and Venice at the forefront of Italy’s connected urban systems.
2. Florence
Florence again ranked among the nation’s most digitally advanced cities, maintaining its place as one of Italy’s “full digital” municipalities. The Tuscan capital shared leadership in the Connected Cities index, reflecting strong broadband networks and smart technology integration.
3. Milan
Milan continues its rise as a digital hub, placing with the top cities in the Connected Cities ranking. Its infrastructure supports fast connectivity and data systems that underpin smart services and municipal efficiency.
4. Venice
Venice also ranked among the leaders for connected infrastructure, benefiting from investments that support sensors, data platforms and advanced networking in public services.
5. Cagliari
Just outside the very top tier of Connected Cities leaders, Cagliari was noted in regional rankings and is among the 16 “full digital” Italian cities recognised for overall digital innovation. Its performance in infrastructure and connected services places it among Italy’s most advanced in digital transformation.
Wider digital progress across Italy
In 2025, 16 provincial capitals achieved the status of “full digital” — meaning they score above 80 on average across all three indices. These include Bergamo, Brescia, Cagliari, Genova, Modena, Parma, Prato, Rimini, Roma, Siena, Torino, Trento and more, alongside the cities above.
Beyond this group, another 30 cities are classified as highly digital, with 46 municipalities in an intermediate category. The overall picture shows rising digitalisation across Italy, driven largely by recovery funds (PNRR) that have accelerated digital services and reduced disparities between larger and smaller cities.
Despite continued regional differences — with northern cities generally scoring higher on connectivity than those in the south — the gap is narrowing as public administrations adopt new technologies and expand digital infrastructure.
Also read: Italy behind the EU for bureaucracy digitalisation
