Bologna is the Italian city which, taken all round, has the best quality of life, according to a survey published annually by the business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. The survey looks at various aspects of city life including the possibility of finding work and housing, whether the public services are adequate, crime levels, and what is on offer for citizens in their free time. Bologna was followed in the list by Milan, Trento, Forl and Florence. The survey show a sharp north-south divide with the first 45 cities on the list in the north of Italy, LAquila in the Abruzzo region coming in at 46 and Messina in Sicily last on the list at 103, close behind southern cities Benevento, Foggia, Taranto and Lecce

This year Rome comes at number 14, a fall of 6 places since last year. The drop is caused by the increased difficulty in finding work and housing, and in doing business, although the city came high on the list for culture, entertainment and eating out. When it comes to the city where people think they would most like to live, Florence wins and Rome comes second. However potential citizens should beware, Rome has a high crime rate and comes very near to the bottom of the list for the number of divorces per head of population.