Internet Speed in Italy Is Getting Faster: What It Means for Where You Live

Just like last year, Magic Towns Italy has run an analysis of 2025 fixed line internet speeds. We were surprised by the results: most of the country has shown significant improvement, a result of both upgraded infrastructure, and people switching to faster plans. As the fibre network rollout continues, we expect this trend to continue. Great news for digital nomads, people working from home, and Netflix mavens alike!

In this article, we cover which areas have improved and (rarely) gotten worse, and the options available to you to get fixed line internet in Italy.

TL;DR

If you’re weighing up a move, reliable broadband is non-negotiable. Our town-level analysis of Ookla data shows Italy’s fixed internet is improving quickly, though not evenly. Use the Internet Speed filter in the Town Explorer to shortlist places by average fixed-line speed before you book viewings.

The Big Picture: Italian Internet Speed 2024 → 2025

Italy’s average download speed is ~171 Mbps in 2025, up ~+91 Mbps year on year. Uploads rose ~+50 Mbps. Day-to-day this means cleaner video calls, quicker cloud backups, smoother streaming, and better smart-home performance.

Which Areas of Italy Have The Fastest Internet In 2025?

• The North (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna) shows the highest averages with broad FTTH (fibre to the home) coverage, creating the lowest hassle for remote work.
• The Centre (Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche) demonstrates strong performance in and around major cities, though hill towns show more variation.
• The South & Islands (Campania, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria) have averages that lag behind the North, but many areas posted big jumps and now offer solid working speeds.

↑ Regions Showing Improvement

• Piedmont: multiple “hyper-growth” municipalities adding hundreds of Mbps.
• Lombardy & Emilia-Romagna: broad upgrades and stable performance.
• Campania & Puglia: strong gains around large population centres.
• Sardinia, Abruzzo, Calabria: high percentage growth from lower baselines.

Examples of top gainers: Aidomaggiore, Torcegno, Volongo, Armento, Paularo, Putifigari, Montopoli di Sabina, Grimaldi, Camagna Monferrato, Montaldo di Mondovì. Many now sit in the 600–1,200+ Mbps range.

↓ Towns With Worsening Internet Speeds

A small set of towns actually declined in average speed, often due to small samples or local service changes: Rotella, Montefalcone nel Sannio, Bova, Monteleone di Fermo, Vervio, Monteleone di Spoleto, Teana, Cicala, Benedello, Mongiuffi Melia. If considering these, run an address-level availability check before signing.

Why Do Upload Speeds Matter?

Rising uploads usually indicate true fibre rather than copper last-mile. More symmetric lines improve cloud use, video calls, telemedicine, creative work, and large photo/video sharing for families.

Major Internet Providers in Italy

When you’re ready to get connected in Italy, you’ll be dealing with one of several major providers. The Italian telecoms market has evolved significantly over the past decade. Where once TIM and Vodafone dominated the landscape with few alternatives, today there are many more options that can be equally good (or even better) depending on where you live:

1. TIM (Telecom Italia) is Italy’s legacy telecom giant and owns most of the copper and fibre infrastructure. They offer widespread coverage, particularly strong in smaller towns where other providers haven’t built out networks. TIM often has the best availability for FTTH in areas where fibre has recently arrived. So, if you’re settling outside major cities, TIM is often the most reliable (though not always the cheapest) option.
2. Vodafone has invested heavily in its own fibre network and offers competitive speeds, particularly in urban areas. Their plans often bundle mobile and fixed-line services, which can be attractive for those of you who want one bill. Like TIM, Vodafone is typically chosen if you live in a more rural area because their coverage reaches almost everywhere (making them slightly pricier).
3. WindTre (formed from the merger of Wind and 3 Italia) has always been seen as a bit of a third option after TIM and Vodafone, but it’s actually become a strong contender in recent years. Indeed, they’ve been pushing hard with 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions in areas where fibre hasn’t yet arrived, even though, according to some people in some parts of southern Italy or more remote areas, the signal isn’t always at its best.
4. Iliad is the newest major player, having launched fixed-line services more recently after success in mobile. Their strength is definitely their pricing: for less than €10 per month they offer various plans with over 100GB of data, messages and calls included (plus an extra 13GB, usually in other European countries). Despite the low price, it works very well, both in cities and in much more rural areas.

These are the main companies, but there are many other smaller and more economical ones that are gradually becoming better known, such as Ho Mobile, Fastweb Mobile, and Poste Mobile.

What Kinds of Internet Can You Get in Italy?

• FTTH (full fibre to the home) – best
  Typical 300 Mbps–1 Gbps+, often near-symmetric. Lowest latency. Most stable.

• FTTC / VDSL (fibre to the cabinet)
  Typical 30–200 Mbps. Copper last-mile; performance drops with distance from the cabinet.

• FWA 5G/4G (“fibre over the air”)
  Typical 50–300+ Mbps. Good where FTTH is missing; depends on signal quality.

• WISP microwave (EOLO-style, regional providers)
  Typical 10–100+ Mbps. Needs rooftop line-of-sight to a mast; can serve hill towns and valleys.

• Starlink (LEO satellite)
  Typical 50–250 Mbps. Works almost anywhere with clear sky; higher cost.

• Mobile data SIM in a router (4G/5G hotspot)
  Typical 20–200+ Mbps. Cheap (from €7 per month). Fast setup; watch for data caps and CGNAT limits (limit on the number of devices connected).

• Legacy ADSL
  Typical 5–20 Mbps. Avoid for remote work. This type of connection is now quire rare in Italy.

Fast Internet Speed Checklist For People Moving to Italy

1. Do address checks with at least two providers; confirm technology (FTTH vs FTTC vs FWA). You can insert an address on any ISP website and check what can be delivered to that address.
2. Ask for upload speeds and banda minima garantita (minimum guaranteed).
3. Check building rules for fibre cabling or rooftop antennas.
4. Test at peak time before committing.
5. In rural areas plan a backup: FWA/Starlink or a 5G router on a different carrier.
6. Use a modern Wi-Fi 6/6E router; thick stone walls need extra access points.
7. Heavy VPN/Zoom users should prefer FTTH; if on mobile/FWA, request a public IP or a business plan.

A few more practical guidance points:

• Exact address matters: availability can change street by street. Target FTTH or ≥300 Mbps plans.
• Test before you commit: run speed tests at your working hours.
• Ask landlords/agents: current provider, plan, and internal wiring age.
• Have a backup: 4G/5G hotspot or second line. If access is critical, you might want to consider two connections linked to a special switch (load balancer) that would gracefully switch to the backup connection in case of failure.
• Router quality: reduces in-home bottlenecks, especially in stone buildings.

Conclusions

Remote work is increasingly viable, even outside the biggest cities. Many mid-sized towns now pair lower living costs with reliable broadband. For maximum stability, the North remains the safest bet; for value, several parts of the South now compete if you verify address-level availability.

Note: our figures come from municipal-level Ookla data comparing 2024 with 2025. Outliers can reflect small samples or infrastructure changes. We emphasise typical experience using medians and broad geographic patterns.

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