One of the most consequential decisions you will make when relocating to Italy is not which region or province, but whether to live in a city or a small town. Italy’s major cities (Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples) offer convenience, international communities, and familiar urban infrastructure. But Italy’s small towns, the borghi and paesi that dot the countryside, coastlines, and hilltops, offer a fundamentally different experience: deeper integration into Italian culture, dramatically lower costs, a pace of life that many Americans find transformative, and real community in a way that cities rarely provide.
The Case for City Life
Italy’s cities provide the practical infrastructure that makes relocation smoother. International schools are concentrated in cities. English-speaking professional networks exist primarily in Milan, Rome, and Florence. Medical specialists, consulates, and government offices are easier to access. Public transportation reduces or eliminates the need for a car. Airports with international connections are nearby.
For Americans who need to work locally, cities offer the only realistic job market. For families with school-age children who want English-language education, cities are often the necessary choice. For those in the early stages of learning Italian, cities provide more cushion since more people speak some English, menus have translations, and services cater to internationals.
The social trade-off is that Italian cities, particularly the larger ones, can feel surprisingly isolating for newcomers. Italians in cities tend to maintain tight social circles formed over decades. Making genuine Italian friends in Milan or Rome takes significant effort and time. Many expats find themselves socializing primarily within international communities, which can limit the cultural immersion that motivated the move in the first place.
The Case for Small Town Life
Small towns in Italy operate on a completely different social model. In a paese of 2,000 or 5,000 or 10,000 people, a new arrival is noticed. The barista learns your name. The neighbors introduce themselves. The alimentari owner sets aside the bread you like. Integration happens not through networking events but through daily repetition and proximity.
This is where the Italian concept of comunita (community) functions as it has for centuries. Town life revolves around the piazza, the church, the market, the bar, the sagra (food festival), and the rhythms of the agricultural or liturgical calendar. Participation is not optional in the sense that showing up is how you become part of the fabric. Volunteer with the Pro Loco (local tourism and cultural association), attend the sagra del cinghiale, bring a cake to the neighbors, and the town opens up.
The financial advantages are substantial. Housing costs in small Italian towns are a fraction of city prices. In many areas of central and southern Italy, you can buy a habitable apartment for EUR 30,000 to 80,000 or a house requiring renovation for even less. Rental prices of EUR 300 to 600 per month for a comfortable apartment are common. Daily expenses, from groceries to dining, are correspondingly lower.
Italy has also introduced incentive programs to attract residents to depopulating areas. Various regions and municipalities offer grants, tax breaks, or subsidized housing to new residents who move to towns with declining populations. These programs change frequently, but they reflect a genuine policy interest in revitalizing small communities.
Practical Considerations
Small town life requires certain adjustments that city life does not.
A car is essential. Public transportation in rural Italy ranges from limited to nonexistent. You will need a car for groceries, medical appointments, and reaching the nearest city. This means obtaining an Italian driver’s license (or converting your US license, which depends on reciprocity agreements that vary by US state), maintaining a vehicle, and budgeting for fuel, insurance, and the bollo (annual vehicle tax).
Italian language proficiency is non-negotiable. In a small town, daily life operates entirely in Italian, often in dialect. The pharmacist, the municipal clerk, the plumber, and the neighbors speak Italian. There is no English-language backup. This is simultaneously the biggest challenge and the greatest accelerator for language learning. Immersion works, and small town immersion works fastest.
Services may be limited. The nearest hospital might be 30 to 45 minutes away. Specialist medical care may require travel to a city. High-speed internet is available in many but not all small towns (check coverage before committing). Amazon delivers almost everywhere, but same-day or next-day delivery is a city convenience.
Bureaucracy can be slower but also more personal. The small town Comune may have limited office hours and a smaller staff. But the upside is that you deal with the same people repeatedly, they come to know your situation, and things can sometimes move through informal channels that do not exist in larger offices.
The Hybrid Approach
Many Americans find an effective middle ground: living in a smaller city or large town (populations of 20,000 to 100,000) that offers both community and convenience. Cities like Lucca, Perugia, Lecce, Orvieto, Ascoli Piceno, Matera, Treviso, and dozens of others provide walkable historic centers, good local services, a strong sense of community, and easy access to both countryside and larger cities.
Another approach is choosing a small town with good transportation links. A borgo that is 20 minutes from a regional capital by car or connected by commuter train gives you the best of both worlds: the community and affordability of small town life with access to city services when needed.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Before deciding, consider what matters most to you. How important is English-language access in your daily life? Do you have children who need specific schooling options? Can you work remotely, or do you need local employment? How comfortable are you with driving as your primary transportation? Are you seeking maximum cultural immersion or a gentler transition? What is your budget, and how far do you want it to stretch?
There is no wrong answer. Italy accommodates both choices beautifully. The key is matching your expectations to the reality of each option.
Finding Your Place
PortaleItaly helps Americans at every stage of relocation, whether you are drawn to Milan’s cosmopolitan energy, Naples’ intensity, or a quiet hilltop borgo in Umbria. We specialize in Italian citizenship by descent, which gives you the unconditional right to live anywhere in Italy without visas or permits. Contact us to start planning.