ITALY - The best places to live in Italy: Where will you buy?

Deciding where is the best place to buy in Italy can be difficult – you're spoilt for choice! Whether you like mountains or rolling hills, a cityscape or a sea view, Italy has a lot to offer home buyers.

The developed North offers more work opportunities, while central regions have the countryside scenery and areas with established expat communities. If sea, sun and a slow pace of life is your desire then head to the sunny South. Some of the most popular areas for expats include Lake Como and Tuscany, with Abruzzo and Puglia also attracting buyers looking to get a bit more house for their money. If the landscape wasn't enough Italy also boasts 53 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country and great opportunities for anyone looking to buy a property they can let out.

In order to begin your journey, you need to sit down and work out the attributes you want your new location to offer. Only once you have this clear in your mind, can you begin looking for your dream property for sale in Italy with an area in mind.

Below, we'll take you on a whistle-stop tour of some of the country's regions and cities, as well as some of our favourite places if you're looking for a specific quality.

Popular cities like Rome, Venice, and Florence are timeless locations with enduring appeal. Perhaps you've always wanted to live amongst the hustle and bustle of an Italian city, or maybe you want to invest in a property that will bring in rental income when you aren't in town? Either way, there are a number of fantastic city centre options available to you in Italy.

ROME

In the capital city, there is history at every turn. Alongside the remains of the Roman Empire, the city centre has Baroque and Renaissance buildings, converted into luxury apartments and penthouses. Some of the most sought-after properties have views over the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon or the Trevi Fountain. You can also find elegant 15th century palazzos with hardwood floors, ornate fireplaces and frescos. Other exclusive villas and hotels can be found for sale on the outskirts of the city.

Even though central Rome is always busy with tourists, you can still find a slower pace of life in the side streets, where you can relax outside a café, take a stroll along the banks of the river Tiber and cycle or walk through Rome's most famous park, Villa Borghese. It is in these narrow back streets that you will find quiet apartments above small shops and restaurants.

The central, historic centre is more expensive, but then you are living in the attics of the houses from ancient Rome. After the Empire fell, silt from frequent floods from the Tiber led the street level to gradually rise up, engulfing the lower floors of houses. The residents simply built on top, so the streets and houses are just the same as 2,000 years ago, but a couple of storeys higher up.

You'll pay around €5,800 per m² for an apartment in the Centro Storico, but some areas are more affordable than others. One affordable area to watch is the trendy Quartiere Trieste, a favourite of students and yuppies, where prices are closer to €4,800 per m². In the suburbs, you can pay under €2,000 per m².

Milan, Lombardy

Milan is considered by many to be the economic and financial capital of Italy. It is also the city of fashion and design. Together, these make it one of the country's economic powerhouses, and it has a thriving jobs market and start-up scene focused around the Porta Garibaldi. With quality healthcare and good international schools too, it's an excellent city to move the family to, and the proximity to central Europe (and major airport and three key train stations) makes travelling around and popping back home easy.

Milan has been nicknamed the 'new Rome' (and the 'new Barcelona') for its booming property market, with prices growing year by year, so this could be a fantastic investment opportunity for property buyers. This buoyant market translates into a well-positioned apartment in a historic building starting at around €500,000.

Florence, Tuscany

Rich in art, fine architecture and culture, Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. It's the city whose wealthy benefactors not only built beautiful homes, but encouraged local artisans like Leonardo and Michelangelo to become the world's greatest artists to decorate them. They created one of the most awe-inspiring cities in the world. Florence's architectural treasures include "Il Duomo", the Uffizi Gallery, The Ponte Vecchio bridge, Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace.

The Florentines are very aware of their architectural past and have preserved original building techniques and use traditional building materials. They understand the importance of protecting and preserving the cultural heritage of the city particularly in the historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Apartments match the city's grand feel. You'll find prestigious properties in 16th century buildings possessing frescoes, hard wood and terracotta floors and vaulted or wooden beamed buildings. A two-bedroom apartment near Florence's historic centre can cost from €340,000 but can generate good returns from holiday rentals.

Expats with families tend to head out towards Arcetri, Piazza Calda or Bagno a Ripoli for proximity to the International School of Florence (and a bit more greenery). Here, homes can still be pricier, at around €425,000 for an 80m² property.

Lucca, Tuscany

Lucca's charming old town has preserved its medieval appearance and is surrounded by thick stone walls with six gateways. The massive walls are topped with tree-lined pathways and are popular for strolling and cycling. At Lucca's heart is the circular Piazza Anfiteatro, built on the ruins of the ancient Roman amphitheatre, by architect Lorenzo Nottolini. As Italian cities go, Lucca is relatively "untouristy", particularly compared to larger neighbours.

The architecture of this lovely Italian city includes towers, bell towers and monumental Renaissance palaces (Palazzo). The town also boasts a 164ft clock tower and statues dating back to the 1800s. Lucca is very easy to reach by car as well as train from both Pisa and Florence. Being flat it is an easy city to walk around.

Lucca hosts the Lucca Summer Festival each year which attracts top music artists. In recent years Lucca and the surrounding villages have become more and more popular with British house buyers. The area combines good holiday rental prospects with very reasonable property prices. It is also well located to reach Pisa airport and to make trips to Florence.

The historic centre is naturally the most expensive, with 80m² properties costing a median of €243,000. A one-bedroom will cost you from about €200,000 and a two-bedroom stylish apartment in an old building can cost from €380,000. For less than a €1 million you can also find properties within a palazzo with beautiful frescoes. Alternatively, a €200,000 budget will get you a three-bedroom house in one of the surrounding villages.

Venice, Veneto

Venice is a spot like no other Italy cities. To live here, you'll need to give up your car in most areas. It's a magic labyrinth of busy canals, bridges, palaces, back streets and hidden corners where people chat with their neighbours. Life in the historic centre means a life without modern transport and no traffic fumes. People walk everywhere and interact with everyone they meet.

Fortunately, as Venice gets more than its fair share of tourists, many people speak English. The best times of day to enjoy the views and restaurants, without the day visitors, are early morning and evening. That's when you'll be glad you have your own place here.

With its romantic canals and alleyways, Venice is a highly sought-after location for luxury apartments, particularly those that are in one of the prestigious Venetian Gothic palaces which line the Grand Canal. Prices have been bumping up and down since 2008 but agents are saying they have bottomed out. Recent figures have suggested they may be correct, with a slow rise in prices in the last few years. Clearly, a property here will have massive rental appeal, but do beware restrictions that may come in on AirBnb and the like. Local residents and hoteliers have been protesting against the growth in unofficial short-term rentals.

Popular areas include Castello, which is close to the Basilica of S. Giovanni e Paolo, and also San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro by the Accademia and Guggenheim museums. Outside Venice, along Riviera del Brentare, are luxury estates and Palladian villas. Prices are around €9,000 per square metre for prime areas, €6,000 to €7,000 for slightly off-centre areas such as Cannaregio.

Less touristic than San Marco, the most popular areas to live are Cannaregio and the Arsenale. Alternatively, the island of Giudecca, which allows cars, is about 15 minutes away by vaporetto. An 80m² property in Cannaregio goes for €385,000, while one in Giudecca goes for €325,000.

Verona, Veneto

Verona, made famous for its beautiful in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is another popular choice among Italians and expats alike. You can spend plenty of weekends just exploring, visiting the castle, the many historic churches and the Roman ruins. Unsurprisingly, the centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Unusually among Italian cities, it's ideally placed for day trips all around the country — or at least the North. The central location means you can easily pop to Venice, Treviso, Milan, Bergamo, Pisa, Rome and more. Plus, Lake Garda is just a 40-minute drive away.

Verona also has good rail links across Italy and to other European cities such as Innsbruck, Zurich, Munich, Paris and Vienna. The north-south rail line from the Brenner Pass to Rome intersects with the east-west line between Milan and Venice. When an apartment in the historic centre comes on sale, it is often pricey, with some costing over €750,000.

Turin, Piedmont

The city of Turin was the first capital the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. It is still one of the most important Italian cities for business and culture. It offers a wealth of monuments and a rich artistic and cultural lifestyle. You'll find architecture spanning Renaissance, baroque, neo-classical and art nouveau styles. The Residence of the Royal Houses of Savoy are inscribed on the World Heritage List. Some of Italy's best universities and colleges can be found in Turin, such as the University of Turin, founded in the 15th century, and the Turin Polytechnic.

The city is also well known for being the headquarters of FIAT, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, the football teams Juventus F.C. and Torino F.C. Plus, it hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. With the Alps lying to the north and west of the city it's a great location for those who love skiing.

Expats with children that want to continue their education in English often look for property in the hills outside the city and nearer to Chieri where the International School of Turin is located. Property is cheaper there, at around €190,000 for 80m². Apartments in the prestigious central areas of Turin, on the other hand, can cost over €300,000.

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