Italy has long cast a spell on those seeking la dolce vita abroad. From its Renaissance cities to sun-soaked villages, the country offers hundreds of locations (Italy is home to more than 7,000 municipalities, or comuni) where one might imagine starting a new life. As we head into 2026, interest in relocating to Italy is surging once again. But where, exactly, are would-be expats looking to move? Is it the bustling streets of Milan and Rome, the rolling hills of Tuscan towns, or the quiet allure of undiscovered coastal villages? To answer this, we delved into fresh data from 2025, analyzing both what people searched for on search engines and what they actually explored on Magic Towns Italy’s Town Explorer. The results reveal a fascinating two-track journey: big cities dominate the early imagination, but it’s the smaller “hidden gem” towns expats spend time investigating that ultimately capture their hearts. FIND OUT WHICH ITALIAN CITY IS RIGHT FOR YOU Our Methodology: How We Identified the Top Towns To find the top expat hotspots, we focused on high-intent relocation signals in 2025. In plain language: on the one hand, this meant looking at search engine queries from abroad that explicitly mention moving or living in Italian locations (for example, searches like “moving to Milan” or “living in Florence”). By filtering…
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- Top 20 Towns Expats Are Looking to Move to in Italy, 2026 Edition
Top 20 Towns Expats Are Looking to Move to in Italy, 2026 Edition
Discover the allure of relocating to Italy in 2026: explore the top 20 expat hotspots, from bustling cities to charming hidden gems.
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Anna grew up in Bassano del Grappa and knows the Veneto region inside out. As a local, she loves sharing genuine tips with the audience, from relocating advice to hidden spots to explore in Italy. Through MagicTowns, she helps expats and retirees feel at home, making the move easier and more exciting.
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