What comes to mind when we think of “living the good life”? We probably imagine a city that guarantees. Health services efficient, School quality, a safe and healthy environment and a social support network. But which Italian cities really live up to these expectations? gave Excellent report Istat has developed a Classification of well-being Fair and sustainable across 14 Italian metropolitan cities, it shows how each improves or presents key issues in key areas. Let’s find out which Italian city you live in. Really better
Health: A two-speed Italy
I divide between North and South Right to health This is a stable and dramatic reality, which is also illustrated by the Swamys report “One Country, Two Treatments”. in the south, Health poverty It comprises 8% of families, compared to 4% in the North-East and 5% in the Centre. Southern families, particularly in Calabria and Campania, often find themselves forced to forego treatment or travel long distances to access quality services in northern regions. This context is reflected in indicators of life expectancy and cancer mortality, which tend to be worse in southern Italian cities.
Ranking of the best cities for health:
- Florence – 84.7 years of life expectancy
- Milan – 84.4 years
- Bologna – 83.9 years
- Venus – 83.7 years
- Rome – 83.7 years
- Genoa – 83.4 years
- Turin – 83.5 years
- Bari – 83.4 years
- Cagliari – 83.2 years
- Reggio Calabria – 82.1 years
- Palermo – 82.1 years
- Messina – 81.8 years
- Catania – 81.8 years
- Naples – 81.2 years
The distribution of health in Italian cities once again illustrates a clear difference between north and south, with Florence, Milan and Bologna topping the rankings. High life expectancy and easy access to health services. However, in the south, cities such as Naples and Messina have lower life expectancy and more difficulty living. prevention and in the treatment of serious diseases, as evidenced by the high mortality from cancer.
Opportunities Make a Difference: Education
L’instruction It is a basic indicator of urban well-being. As Istat data highlights, there are also marked regional disparities in this sector. Central-Northern cities offer Better educational infrastructure and greater access to continuing education than in many southern cities, where dropout rates are high and even kindergarten access is more difficult.
Ranking of the best cities for education and training:
- Bologna – 45.2% of graduates and 38.2% of children in childcare services
- Milan – 42.6% graduates, high literacy rate
- Rome – 42.2% graduates and has the highest rate of going to university
- Florence – Good participation in continuous training
- Venice – 66.9% with at least a high school diploma
- Genoa – Graduate rate 34.7%
- Cagliari – High proportion of children in childcare services
- Turin – 56.4% go to university.
- Bari – Above average university pass rate
- Naples – High school dropout rate
- Messina – Low share of people with at least a high school diploma
- Reggio Calabria – High NEET rate and poor childcare services
- Palermo – Low scores in alphabetic and numerical skills
- Catania – the lowest in the school attendance indicator
Bologna and Milan top the rankings thanks to well-structured school networks and strong participation in higher and continuing education. Cities such as Naples and Palermo, however, are characterized by High school dropout rate and lack of childcare facilities. Inequality in educational opportunities limits the future prospects of young people, particularly in the South, contributing to the perpetuation of social and economic inequality.
New tip: Support networks
A livable city is a city that offers strong social support networks, able to support the most vulnerable citizens. Even in this region, a clear divide between north and south can be seen, as Florence and Rome, boast a deep presence. Non-profit organizations and support networksWhile the South shows a significant decrease in terms of social assistance.
Ranking of the best cities for support networks:
- Florence – High density of non-profit organizations and support services
- Rome – social integration and access to solid support networks
- Milan – Good availability of support networks
- Bologna – Support and integration services
- Turin – Presence of local support networks
- Genoa – Availability of social assistance on average good
- Cagliari – Presence of social networks for support
- Venus – less structured support networks
- Naples – Support levels are low, but growing.
- Palermo – Lack of wide access to support networks
- Reggio Calabria – Poor support and social support networks
- Messina – Availability of limited support networks.
- Bari – Moderate access to social support
- Catania – Help networks among the most vulnerable people in the country
Florence, Rome and Milan excel in social support, while in many southern cities, such as Catania and Reggio Calabria, support networks are limited and often inadequate, leading to a high risk of social isolation for the most vulnerable segments of the population. lead to
Air quality and urban comfort
Living a good life also means living in a healthy and safe environment. Istat data shows that northern cities such as Milan and Bologna have invested significantly in urban sustainability and safety, while southern regions continue to have pollution-related problems and a low perception of safety.
Ranking of the best cities for environment and safety:
- Milan – Excellent environmental management and high concept of safety
- Bologna – high environmental quality and safety
- Florence – good pollution control and green spaces.
- Rome – Average perception of safety, good air quality
- Genoa – Environmental indicators are good on average.
- Turin – Moderate air quality, good urban safety
- Venice – high safety standards but pollution problems
- Bari – Low security indicator
- Cagliari – average environmental quality, but low perception of safety
- Naples – Critical issues in environmental management and the concept of insecurity
- Palermo – high level of pollution, perception of insecurity
- Catania – Low awareness of environmental issues and safety
- Messina – high insecurity and poor environmental quality
- Reggio Calabria – Perception of serious environmental problems and insecurity
Milan and Bologna have emerged as models of sustainability and safety, with advanced environmental policies and a high perception of urban comfort. In contrast, Naples and Palermo face lower levels of environmental management and perceived safety.