ItaliaOggi‘s Quality of Life survey 2023, conducted in collaboration with Ital Communications and La Sapienza University of Rome, reveals that Bolzano and Milan lead the rankings. Meanwhile Crotone ranks at the bottom, emphasising the notable North-South divide.
Bolzano, situated at Walther Square, emerges as the epitome of the “good life” in 2023, securing the top spot in the quality of life rankings. This province consistently excels, having secured the 2nd position in 2022. Following closely are the metropolitan cities of Milan and Bologna, occupying the 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively. Milan and Bologna not only maintain but also improve their standings from the previous year (5th and 3rd out of 107). Trento and Florence follow suit in the rankings.
ItaliaOggi’s survey, now in its 25th edition and conducted in collaboration with Ital Communications and La Sapienza University of Rome, scrutinizes dimensions such as business, work, environment, education, population, crime, income, wealth, social security, health, and free time.
On the flip side, Crotone in Calabria, along with Messina and Caltanissetta in Sicily, holds the bottom positions (107th, 105th, and 106th, respectively), mirroring the results of the 2022 survey.
North-south divide remains
Examining the geographical distribution, the survey underscores a persistent North-South disparity. In 2023, 63 out of 107 provinces in central and eastern Alps, the Po Valley, and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines exhibit good or acceptable quality of life, in line with the trends of the past two years. Conversely, provinces in the South and the Islands predominantly fall into groups 3 and 4, denoting poor or insufficient quality of life.
The 2023 survey affirms an ongoing trend: the pronounced divide between the more resilient and high-performing Center-North and the persistently vulnerable Southern and Island Italy.
Another noteworthy trend, described as “post-Covid,” is the robust recovery observed in the last two years in provinces and metropolitan cities of the Center-North, particularly those belonging to the “Metropolis” cluster. This is evident in the notable rise of Lombard capital (2nd place), Bologna, Florence, Turin (31st), and Rome (33rd), all climbing around twenty positions compared to their 2022 standings.
