Information on housing and economy
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It's hot, the seaside beaches are crowded, but there's an alternative: real beaches, at high altitude, where the water remains clear and the air is lighter. In Italy and Europe, you'll find sandy lakes, mountain beaches, meadows, and full-service amenities, ideal even for just a weekend getaway.
Trentino and Alto Adige are often grouped together as one Alpine destination, yet they are two autonomous provinces with distinct languages, cultures and histories. For foreigners considering life in the region, the most noticeable contrast is linguistic: Trentino is predominantly Italian-speaking, while Alto Adige, also called Südtirol , has a German-speaking majority and strong ties to the…
For many young Italians, buying a first home at 30 was seen as a realistic goal in 1996. In 2026, the picture looks different. Stagnant wages, property costs and more difficult access to mortgages have changed the rules. According to data from Istat and the Bank of Italy, the average age for buying a home in Italy has gradually increased in recent decades. Job insecurity and the resulting delay in…
Until a few decades ago, leaving home before the age of 30 was considered a natural step towards adulthood. Today, however, young people living with their parents make up an increasingly large share of Italy’s population. According to Eurostat data, the average age of leaving the parental home in Italy is among the highest in Europe and exceeds 30, while the EU average is lower. This is not simply…
Private villa, swimming pool, sea view. For most people, those three words suggest a price tag with plenty of zeros, something reserved for buyers with a very large budget. Yet the Italian property market continues to challenge that assumption. Looking for a sea-view villa with a pool starting at €75,000 is not wishful thinking. Real properties are available, provided you know where to look.
Italy has the highest homeownership rate among Spain, Portugal and Italy, according to a new international ranking, with more than three-quarters of households owning the homes they live in. Italy recorded a homeownership rate of 75.2% , placing it 11th among the countries listed by Visual Capitalist.
Elba may seem familiar at first, until you come across corners that change the picture entirely: a green lagoon where swimming is forbidden, a black beach reached only by taking the walk slowly, and a fortress that never fell under siege. These are six unusual, lesser-visited places on Elba, giving a different perspective on Tuscany’s best-known island in the archipelago.
Sometimes a single film scene is enough to change the way a place is seen forever. That has happened to several Italian coastal gems, where certain stretches of shoreline have become symbols thanks to films that captured their deeper spirit, across contemporary Puglia and Sicily, which embrace both memory and the future.
In a small village in Tuscany’s Valdarno Aretino, the sound of running water is part of daily life. The Ciuffenna stream divides the historic centre, passing beneath stone houses and a high arched bridge before dropping through a narrow gorge. At the centre of it all sits an old water mill on a rocky outcrop in the stream. Dating from around the year 1000, it is described as Tuscany’s oldest…
Often considered high-end properties, penthouses can actually offer cheap opportunities even for those on a tighter budget. There's no shortage of budget-friendly penthouses for sale on the market, spread across several Italian cities. The selection brings together proposals designed for those who want to live on the top floor, with the advantage of terraces, private outdoor spaces, and panoramic…
Buying a €1 home can sound very appealing, but it is important to understand the hidden costs involved. Properties sold for this price are often unsafe or in a state of serious disrepair, so spending on renovation work is compulsory. Homes sold for €1 are handed over by their owners to municipalities, which then sell them through a public procedure for the symbolic price of €1.
Italy’s coastal property market was expanding in almost all areas during the second half of 2025, according to Tecnocasa. The picture is far from uniform: San Teodoro in Sardinia saw the sharpest rise among the locations highlighted, while parts of Calabria and Sicily still sit at much lower price points.
When They Call Me Trinity was released in Italian cinemas in 1970, audiences were glued to the screen, and not only for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s comic moments. There was something familiar about its scenery: open grasslands, wide skies and rugged rock faces. Yet Trinity’s Wild West was not Arizona or New Mexico. It was Italy.
The last weekend of August is the perfect time for many to get away: the beaches are a bit emptier and prices are more reasonable. It's the perfect window to indulge in a two- or three-day getaway without the chaos of Ferragosto, but with all the light and warmth that only this period can offer.
Are crowds really necessary to feel as though you are on holiday? In a summer marked by packed beaches and rising prices, there are still corners of Italy’s coastline where time slows down, and chatter fades into the sound of the water. These are not unreachable destinations, but places that have retained a sense of privacy and quiet thanks to their setting or access: seven Italian beaches ,…
In recent years, the idea of the smart home has also become more widespread in Italy, shifting from a luxury for a few to a practical choice for many households. The difference between a traditional home and an intelligent one is not simply about AI-based virtual assistants or lights switched on with a smartphone. It also concerns home automation: managing energy use, security and day-to-day…
