The province of Bolzano ranks first in terms of quality of life, after last year's silver medal. This is established by the annual ranking on the quality of life 2023 carried out by ItaliaOggi and Ital Communications, in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome, now in its 25th edition.

Following, on the podium, are the metropolitan cities of Milan, which rises from fifth place in 2022, with the sole exception, for the Lombard capital, of coming last in the "crime and security" category. Bologna is third. This is followed by Trento and Florence. Last, in 107th place, is Crotone in Calabria, as had already happened in 2022. At the bottom, together with the province of Calabria, are Messina, 105th, and Caltanissetta, 106th.

"There is a lot of commitment, we have a budget with zero debts for the city, and a great ability to achieve the objectives and above all to spend well the money that, I would like to dispel the cliché, does not come from Rome - specifies the mayor of Bolzano, Renzo Caramaschi - because the province of Bolzano contributes with about 400 million a year to the reduction of the national debt".

Business and labour, environment, education and training, population, crime, income and wealth, social security, health and leisure are the dimensions analysed on which the survey was based. With an additional 14 sub-dimensions and 92 basic indicators.

This year, the quality of life was good or acceptable in 63 out of 107 Italian provinces, "in line with the last two years": 64 in 2022 and again 63 in 2021. There are therefore 21 million 909 thousand residents who, according to the research, live "in territories characterized by a poor or insufficient quality of life", 37.2% of the Italian population. Last year there were 21 million 789 thousand, which is a slight decrease compared to 2022. The research also confirms "the fracture between the Centre-North, which is more performing and resilient, and southern and insular Italy, characterised by persistent vulnerability".

In the central and northern provinces and metropolitan cities belonging to the "metropolis" cluster, there has been a "strong recovery" in the last two years. A "post-Covid" trend that is well represented "by the second place of the Lombard capital, by the data of Bologna and Florence, but also by the performance of Turin (31st) and Rome (33rd), which climb about twenty positions compared to 2022".

Getty

Children at the beach

Considered from a statistical point of view as a province, Aosta - and therefore the entire regional territory - ranks 9th out of 107 provinces examined, it was in 17th place, it is instead in 75th position (it was 76th a year ago) as far as the environment is concerned.

In the areas of the South "areas of social and personal hardship are growing". The provinces of the South and the Islands appear in groups 3 and 4 of the survey, in which the quality of life is rated as poor or insufficient.

The Sicilian provincial capitals are at the bottom of the ranking drawn up by ItaliaOggi and Ital Communications, in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome, now in its 25th edition. Out of 107 provinces examined, seven are in the last ten places: Caltanissetta 106th with the record of the worst capital of the island. A little further up Ragusa (88th) and Trapani (93rd).

In particular, for the "Business and Work" category, the Lazio region is out of the top ten positions with a majority occupied by provinces in Northern Italy. Rome is in 64th place. Viterbo in 67th. The region of Sicily is also out of the top ten. Ragusa is in 76th place. In terms of male unemployment (in the age group between 15 and 64 years), Sicily appears with the first province, Ragusa, in 77th position while as far as female unemployment is concerned, Catania is in 97th place. Lazio appears with the first province, Latina, in 52nd position while as far as female unemployment is concerned, Rome is in 54th place. In the Health System, Rome is in tenth position. In general, health services are mainly concentrated in provinces where there is a large urban centre.