In Italy, 34% of the population lives in a big city or a metropolis, 41% live in a small city or in the suburbs, the final 25% live in countryside. The half of Italians are satisfied with the place where they live: a good percentage! The people who live in a big city don’t change it despite traffic, smog, overtourism or hustle and bustle, because learning and work possibilities, cultural offers, entertainment venues and utilities are way too attractive to them, even if housing cost is really elevated.

Who lives in suburbs or in medium to small cities is pleased with the balance between services and habitability, absence of traffic and acoustic pollution, the better air quality and a large quantity of green areas, despite the lacking public transport and entertainment venues.

Those who live in the countryside feel compelled to constantly use cars, but they are satisfied with the lack of neighbors and the contact with nature.

As for the other half of Italians, the unsatisfied ones, 24% would rather live in a metropolis, 36% in the countryside and the 40% would love to live in a medium or small city. More precisely, those who dream of the city life are the younger people of Gen-Z, Millenials prefer suburbs or medium to small city life, and, finally, Boomers or Baby-Boomers would rather live in the isolated countryside.

Massive growth in platforms like Airbnb has pushed locals out of city centers, transforming residential neighborhoods into temporary hubs. This has caused:

• Cultural Erosion: traditional artisan shops are increasingly replaced by generic souvenir stores and tourist-trap dining to cater solely to visitors.

• Strain on Infrastructure: millions of visitors stress local transit, overload waste management systems, and cause physical damage to delicate UNESCO heritage sites.

• Building speculation: many buildings in te city center become luxury hotels or venues for events, pulling out citizens from their neighbourhood.

Examples from Italian cities:

• Venice: expanded its day-tripper entry fee, charging up to €10 for last-minute visitors to control daily capacity.

• Florence & Rome: initiated caps on daily visitor numbers, banned lock-boxes for short-term rentals in historic areas, and expanded localized tourist taxes.

• National Initiatives: efforts are underway to push travelers to lesser-known, "hidden gem" regions to deseasonalize and redistribute the economic benefits of tourism.