For the last 28 years, Il Sole 24 Ore has analyzed quality of life across Italian cities. This year, the organization ranked Florence 12th overall and first in culture and leisure time.
Quality of life is a rather elusive concept and for this reason, Il Sole 24 Ore created 42 measurements and 6 overarching categories to define it, including work and innovation, environment and services, and demographics and society. Although Florence dropped 6 positions since last year, the city still ranks in the 98th percentile for Italian cities, above Rome yet below Milan and Siena.
Larger cities consistently ranked lower in justice and security, which measures the prevalence of rape, theft and fraud. Without exception, Florence was 106th in this category. Florence was rated fifth for GDP with Florentines making an average of 33,000 euro per year, an amount reflected in the city’s relatively high home rental rates.
Given Florence’s cultural offerings, the city outranked most others for number of bookstores, cinema seats, and shows. Yet, it placed 84th for numbers of restaurants and bars per capita.
The “high life”, however, seems to be further north in the Eastern Dolomites: popular winter holiday destination Belluno placed first overall.