Cleaner urban services, stronger recycling habits, and growing public transportation use are helping Italian cities move toward a more sustainable future. The 2026 environmental assessment of 106 provincial capitals reveals encouraging progress, with smaller and midsize communities offering examples that larger metropolitan areas can build upon.
The cities’ average sustainability score increased from 53.84% to 55.72%. Although the improvement remains modest, it reflects measurable gains in services that affect everyday life – from the water reaching household faucets to the collection of recyclable materials and the availability of alternatives to driving.
