On Tuesday, the Minister for Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, announced plans to market Italy as an ideal base for remote working.
Italy’s Minister for Business and Made in Italy, says the government is planning to market Italy as a remote working destination.
“In the coming months we will draw up a comprehensive legislative proposal making it clear that the best place to live is Italy even if you are in Silicon valley, with the slogan ‘Work in the world and live in Italy’,” said Urso.
“Made in Italy is not just a place of production but a territory, history, art, a creative ability that is globally recognised as a quality brand,” continued the minister.
“Now we can give this territory even greater value by exploiting the possibilities offered by remote working. Possibilities which we learned about during the pandemic and on which the main industrial value chains are focusing,” said Urso. He added there is “a growing awareness from Silicon Valley to the London Stock Exchange” that Italy is the best place to live.
“We are working to make it perceptible to the so-called digital surfers,” he concluded.
Is Italy really good for remote working?
Whilst Urso believes Italy is great for remote working, it’s certainly not top of any of the lists you’ll find on remote working websites.
Indonesia is often quoted as one of the best places to work. In Europe, the top spot is often taken by Portugal. In fact, in InterNation’s 2022 Insider Report ranked Italy 44 out of 52 countries for expats (though to be fair, 71% of expats are happy with their life in Italy).
Based on that info, what would Italy need to do to attract digital nomads? In short, to attract digital nomads, Italy would need to:
- Streamline its bureaucracy
- Make opening a bank account easier
By working remotely, i.e. for a company not based in Italy, digital nomads will at least escape a continual bugbear of expats, which is low pay.
On the plus side, of course, there is the climate, culture, and history.