{"id":14595,"date":"2026-05-10T08:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/14595\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T08:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:21:23","slug":"7-best-towns-in-italy-to-retire-comfortably","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/14595\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Best Towns In Italy To Retire Comfortably"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retirement in Italy<\/a> can sound like a fantasy. The country’s smaller towns make a realistic version possible. The seven below show Italy’s more approachable side. One is a textile town in the foothills of the Alps that still runs on a 19th-century funicular. Another is a border city where two countries share a town square. Housing costs across this list sit well below the national averages most retirees assume Italy offers. <\/p>\n

Biella, Piedmont <\/p>\n

\"1717 07 2022, Sordevolo, the parish church and the old village on the Oropa Trail, Biella, Piedmont<\/p>\n

Biella is a northwestern city of about 43,000 residents at the base of the Italian Alps, roughly an hour from Turin and 90 minutes from Milan. Archaeological evidence of settlement goes back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, and Biella became a European textile center during the Middle Ages, building its reputation on clean mountain water that powered its mills. The town is split in two: the medieval hilltop quarter of Piazzo and the lower business district of Piano, connected by a funicular that first opened in 1885. <\/p>\n

Biella works well as a base for outdoor pursuits. Thirty minutes from town, Oasi Zegna is a free 100-square-kilometre nature preserve traversed by the 26-kilometre Panoramica Zegna scenic drive. The nearby Baraggia Natural Reserve protects one of Europe’s last heathland ecosystems, which turns purple each August when the heather blooms. Just 12 kilometres from town, the Sacro Monte of Oropa is a 17th-century religious complex at 1,200 metres, home to a Black Madonna statue that has drawn pilgrims for centuries, a Baroque basilica, and a cable car up to Lago del Mucrone. <\/p>\n

Homes in Biella average about \u20ac775\/m\u00b2, with rentals around \u20ac7.05\/m\u00b2. The greater Piedmont region runs substantially higher, with homes averaging \u20ac1,425\/m\u00b2 and rentals at \u20ac10.09\/m\u00b2, so Biella offers noticeably better value than its region. <\/p>\n

Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia <\/p>\n

\"Gorizia,Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy – 09.August 2020 – quaint medieval narrow streets and colorful houses in the old town center.<\/p>\n

In the northeast on the Slovenian<\/a> border, Gorizia is a town of about 33,600 with one of the more unusual recent histories in Italy. Once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a key World War I battleground, Gorizia was assigned to Italy in 1920. After World War II, the postwar redrawing of borders split the town in two, with a hard border dividing Italian Gorizia from Yugoslav Nova Gorica on the other side. The barrier came down in 2004 when Slovenia joined the European Union, and today visitors can walk freely between the two countries at Piazza Transalpina, a town square shared by both cities. <\/p>\n

Austrian<\/a> nobility nicknamed the town “Austrian Nice” for its mild climate and elegant architecture, and that legacy remains clear in its Gothic, Baroque, and Habsburg-imperial buildings. The Jesuit Church of Sant’Ignazio is topped by two green onion domes that look more at home in Vienna or Prague than central Italy. Above the town, Gorizia Castle contains a small medieval borgo and the Museum of the Great War, one of Italy’s better museums on World War I. <\/p>\n

Gorizia is good ground for wine enthusiasts. The surrounding Collio hills produce some of Italy’s best white wines, and nearby Oslavia has become known internationally for orange wines made from Ribolla Gialla grapes. The Wine and Cherries Road winds through the region. Housing costs are higher than Biella but still reasonable, with an average sale price of \u20ac1,281\/m\u00b2 and rentals at \u20ac9.23\/m\u00b2. <\/p>\n

Penne, Abruzzo <\/p>\n

\"AA back view of a hiker with a walking stick observing the beautiful Penne Lake in Abruzzo<\/p>\n

Just under three hours from Rome, Penne is a town of about 12,000 spread across four hills with views of olive groves, the Gran Sasso d’Italia in the Apennine Mountains, and the Adriatic Sea<\/a>. Within an hour’s drive is Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, one of Italy’s largest protected areas, with hundreds of kilometres of trails. One easier standout is the Valianara Cave-Scoppaturo Canyon loop, just 1.6 kilometres, which passes filming locations from the Spaghetti Western “They Call Me Trinity.” Closer to town, the Regional Nature Reserve of Lake Penne offers quiet walking paths. <\/p>\n

Locals call Penne the “City of Bricks,” and the historic center lives up to it: the buildings are almost entirely built of red brick, including Porta San Francesco, the original town gate. Near it, the Penne Cathedral dates to before the year 1000, with an even older Romanesque crypt below. <\/p>\n

Penne offers retirees a chance to enjoy Abruzzo’s natural and historic character without stretching the budget. Homes average \u20ac675\/m\u00b2 and rentals run around \u20ac5.45\/m\u00b2. Penne also participates in the one-euro home program, selling abandoned properties for one euro to buyers willing to renovate them, though these come with renovation obligations and required deposits in practice. <\/p>\n

Isernia, Molise <\/p>\n

\"Isernia,Isernia, Molise, capital of the homonymous province of Molise, a pleasant town with a cool climate in summer and not too cold in winter.<\/p>\n

Just under two and a half hours south of Penne sits Isernia, an inland town of about 21,000 in the often-overlooked region of Molise. Homes here average around \u20ac916\/m\u00b2 and rentals about \u20ac6.82\/m\u00b2. Isernia is one of Italy’s oldest continuously inhabited towns, sitting along a rocky ridge between the Carpino and Sordo rivers, where medieval alleys, Roman arches, and terracotta-roofed houses share the same blocks. Once a Samnite stronghold, then a Roman settlement, then a medieval commune, those layers remain visible despite major rebuilds after the 1805 earthquake and World War II damage. <\/p>\n

The Fontana Fraterna in Piazza Celestino V is a 13th-century fountain assembled from salvaged Roman stone. The Cathedral of San Pietro Apostolo stands on the site of an ancient Roman temple, with crypts below that reach further back still. <\/p>\n

Beyond local history, the Montedimezzo Wildlife Reserve offers quiet forest trails through oak and beech woodland, and near Roccamandolfi a Tibetan suspension bridge crosses a gorge and connects hiking paths in the Matese mountains. The surrounding countryside supports small wineries that offer low-key tastings, and wine bars in town such as Barbera Coffee & Wine and Ice Fire & Wine Bar work well for a local afternoon. <\/p>\n

Scalea, Calabria <\/p>\n

\"BeautifulBeautiful Aerial Pictures of Scalea, Calabria, Italy<\/p>\n

About two and a half hours past Naples along the Tyrrhenian Sea<\/a>, Scalea is a coastal town of about 11,000 permanent residents that grows significantly during summer. The town has two distinct zones: a modern waterfront of condos and resorts below, and the medieval hillside old town above, with tight winding streets, stone houses, and small squares. The Norman Castle ruins, dating to the 11th century, and Cimalonga Tower (now a small museum) both sit in the old town. Talao Tower, closer to the waterfront, is one of the most photographed landmarks in town. <\/p>\n

Many retirees come to Scalea for the beach. Ajnella is the standout, where dark cliffs run into clear water and shelter calm swimming coves. The shoreline opens onto sea caves and coves you can reach by kayak or on organised boat tours. Inland, the Argentino River Valley Nature Reserve has hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Just down the road is the Peperoncino Museum in Maier\u00e0, devoted to the spicy peppers that define Calabrian cuisine. Home prices average around \u20ac1,091\/m\u00b2 and rentals around \u20ac7.26\/m\u00b2, making Scalea one of the more affordable coastal options in southern Italy. <\/p>\n

Sambuca di Sicilia, Sicily <\/p>\n

\"PanoramicPanoramic view of Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy, photographed in warm evening light. The hilltop town is surrounded by dry fields and olive groves, with historic buildings rising above the countryside.<\/p>\n

On the western side of Sicily<\/a>, Sambuca di Sicilia is a quiet town of about 5,800 with deep Arab-era roots still visible in the Arab Quarter, a compact district within the old defensive walls where the maze-like alleyways follow the original 9th-century Islamic layout. Panitteri Palace, once an outpost tower along the walls and later a noble residence, now houses an archaeological museum with artifacts recovered from Monte Adranone. The mountain is one of Sicily’s significant archaeological sites, with the ruins of an ancient Greek settlement that was inhabited from around the 5th century BCE, later taken by Carthage, and destroyed in the mid-3rd century BCE during the First Punic War. <\/p>\n

Sambuca has a distinctive local pastry, Minni di Virgini, a dome-shaped treat filled with cream, candied pumpkin, chocolate chips, and cinnamon, with origins traced to 1725. Bakeries around town including Pasticceria Enrico Pendola produce them. Sambuca also sits at the edge of a busy Sicilian wine region, with tastings at nearby Cantina Cellaro and Giovinco, and a more casual option in town at L’enoteca del Re. <\/p>\n

With home prices averaging \u20ac536\/m\u00b2 and rentals around \u20ac5.28\/m\u00b2, Sambuca di Sicilia is among the most affordable towns on this list. The town also runs periodic one-euro home programs for abandoned properties, with buyers agreeing to renovate within a set timeframe. <\/p>\n

Nuoro, Sardinia <\/p>\n

\"CalaCala Ginepro, Orosei, Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy – aerial view to the beach<\/p>\n

In central-eastern Sardinia<\/a>, Nuoro is a town of about 33,000 that carries a heavier cultural weight than its size suggests. Nicknamed the “Athens of Sardinia,” it has produced an outsized share of Italian literary and artistic talent, most notably Grazia Deledda, the only Italian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1926). Her former home is now the Deledda Museum. The Ciusa Museum showcases sculptures by Francesco Ciusa, one of the most important 20th-century Sardinian sculptors. <\/p>\n

Nuoro is also a good base for exploring the island. A short drive brings you to Orgosolo, covered in bold political murals, and Mamoiada, known for its winter carnival of masked figures in black sheepskins parading through the streets. Under an hour from town, Gennargentu National Park offers some of the most demanding hiking terrain on the island, and Cala Gonone provides access to the Gulf of Orosei with snorkelling, boat trips to coves, and hikes along limestone cliffs. San Teodoro is also nearby, with La Cinta Beach and a lagoon where flamingos wade seasonally. <\/p>\n

Home prices run around \u20ac1,205\/m\u00b2 and rentals around \u20ac7.72\/m\u00b2, which is reasonable compared to provincial averages, though specific rental data for Nuoro can vary substantially between sources, so prospective retirees should verify current costs with local listings before committing. <\/p>\n

Seven Italy Retirement Options Beyond the Tuscan Clich\u00e9 <\/p>\n

Whether you are a born-and-raised Italian looking for a change of pace or coming from abroad to act on a lifelong dream, these seven towns offer a version of retirement Italy that is practical rather than purely aspirational. A fixed income stretches further here than in the country’s best-known hill towns and coastal resorts, and the essentials (walkable downtowns, local food culture, regional healthcare, community life) remain intact. Mountain hikes on centuries-old paths, working vineyards and olive groves, quiet coastal towns with sea caves, small specialised museums, and thousand-year-old churches all coexist here. This is Italy without the fantasy markup. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Retirement in Italy can sound like a fantasy. The country’s smaller towns make a realistic version possible. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5],"class_list":{"0":"post-14595","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-italy","8":"tag-italy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}