The water
Tap water is generally safe but many locals drink bottled; fountains (nasoni) are fine in cities. Tap water: Varies.
Italy
The Marsican brown bear, a subspecies surviving only in Italy's central Apennines
RegionEuropeCurrencyEURPowerType C/F, 230VTap waterVaries
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Italy is one of Europe's agricultural powerhouses, largely self-sufficient in fruit, vegetables, wine, olive oil and rice, though a net importer of cereals, animal feed and meat. Orchards, vineyards and market gardens remain…Read more
Italy is one of Europe's agricultural powerhouses, largely self-sufficient in fruit, vegetables, wine, olive oil and rice, though a net importer of cereals, animal feed and meat. Orchards, vineyards and market gardens remain woven through the landscape and economy.
Local staples
Pasta and bread, olive oil, vegetables, legumes, tomatoes
Markets
Weekly town 'mercati' and daily produce markets
In season
Grape harvest September to October; olive harvest October to December
Wildlife
Italy holds real iconic species, including the Apennine wolf, the critically small Marsican brown bear population and the Alpine ibex brought back from near-extinction, plus island endemics in Sardinia and Sicily. Biodiversity is…Read more
Italy holds real iconic species, including the Apennine wolf, the critically small Marsican brown bear population and the Alpine ibex brought back from near-extinction, plus island endemics in Sardinia and Sicily. Biodiversity is notable but national endemism is modest.
Found nowhere else
Marsican brown bear; Sardinian and Corsican island forms
Natural phenomena
Hot summers, mild winters; August is crowded and the sun is fierce.
When to go
Spring and early autumn
Getting around
Extensive rail network including high-speed trains, plus regional buses
Good to know
Cards widely accepted; EUR. Cash for small shops and market stalls.
Safety
Solo female travel: Easy. LGBTQ+: Mixed.
Only hereThe Marsican brown bear, a subspecies surviving only in Italy's central Apennines
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
75/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Italy
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The Marsican brown bear, a subspecies surviving only in Italy's central Apennines
- Forest cover
- 32.9%%
- Land protected
- 21.5%%
- Sea protected
- 11%%
- Organic farmland
- 16.0%%
- Threatened species
- 222 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
- Found nowhere else
- Marsican brown bear; Sardinian and Corsican island forms
- Renewable power
- 41.0%%
- CO2 per person
- 5.1 t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 14.3 µg/m³ (PM2.5)
- Cleanest air
- Alpine and Apennine uplands away from the Po Valley
- Water from
- Tap water is generally safe but many locals drink bottled; fountains (nasoni) are fine in cities.
- Tap water
- Varies
- Safe drinking water
- 96.8%%
- Cleanest water
- Alpine lakes and mountain spring rivers
- Springs
- Abundant thermal springs, from Tuscany's Saturnia to the Euganean spa hills
- In season
- Grape harvest September to October; olive harvest October to December
- Plastic ban
- EU single-use plastic ban in force; national plastic tax repeatedly delayed
- Watch out for
- Po Valley heavy industry and the Taranto steelworks
- Solo female travel
- Easy
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Mixed
- Best months
- April to June and September to October
- Getting around
- Extensive rail network including high-speed trains, plus regional buses
- Power
- Type C/F, 230V
- Currency
- EUR
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 3/5 | Northern Italy is water-rich, fed by Alpine rivers, great lakes and Apennine springs, and about 97% of people have safely managed drinking water (JMP, 2024). Full assessmentBut the south and Sicily face severe recurrent drought, the Po hit record lows in 2022, and distribution networks lose roughly a third of their water to leaks. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 4/5 | Italy is one of Europe's agricultural powerhouses, largely self-sufficient in fruit, vegetables, wine, olive oil and rice, though a net importer of cereals, animal feed and meat. Full assessmentOrchards, vineyards and market gardens remain woven through the landscape and economy. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 5/5 | The Mediterranean diet is native here, built on vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, olive oil and fruit, so eating unprocessed plant food is effortless. Full assessmentRegional dishes from pasta e fagioli to ribollita are naturally plant-centred. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 5/5 | About 16% of Italy's agricultural land is organic (FiBL, 2020 data), among the highest shares in the world and still rising under national and EU targets. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 4/5 | Protected areas cover about 21% of land and 11% of the sea (World Bank, 2025), including 25 national parks such as Gran Paradiso and Abruzzo. Full assessmentCoverage is strong and marine protection is meaningful, though hunting pressure and coastal development remain concerns. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 3/5 | Italy holds real iconic species, including the Apennine wolf, the critically small Marsican brown bear population and the Alpine ibex brought back from near-extinction, plus island endemics… Full assessmentin Sardinia and Sicily. Biodiversity is notable but national endemism is modest. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 2/5 | Natural-materials traditions stay alive, from Biella and Prato wool to Como silk, plus linen, leather and a growing hemp revival. Full assessmentMany of these remain working industries rather than heritage alone. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 3/5 | The Po Valley is one of Europe's most polluted air basins, and national PM2.5 averages about 14 µg/m³ (World Bank, 2023). Full assessmentItaly applies EU single-use plastic rules and recycles well, but pollution hotspots such as the Terra dei Fuochi near Naples and industrial Taranto persist. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 5/5 | Italy recycles about half of its municipal waste, around 51% including composting (Eurostat, 2023), one of the better rates in Europe with strong separate collection and packaging recovery. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 3/5 | Italy draws close to two-fifths of its electricity from renewables, with solar near 12% alongside hydropower and the geothermal fields of Larderello, the world's first geothermal power site… Full assessment(Ember, 2023). Its territorial CO2 emissions were about 5.1 tonnes per person in 2024 (Our World in Data, Global Carbon Project), among the lower figures in Western Europe. Natural gas remains the largest single source of power, and Italy targets climate neutrality by 2050 in line with the EU. The mix of moderate emissions and moderate renewables places it in the middle band. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 4/5 | Italy's regional identities, dialects, food cultures and village life are strongly alive, and agriturismo, borghi and small-town tourism channel money to local families. Full assessmentMass tourism does strain cities such as Venice and Florence. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 4/5 | Italy sustains a broad living heritage, from opera and bel canto singing to regional folk forms such as the tarantella and Salento pizzica, Sardinian canto a tenore polyphony and Sicilian O… Full assessmentera dei Pupi puppet theatre. Community events including the Venice and Ivrea carnivals and the Palio di Siena remain deeply rooted, alongside Catholic patronal processions and ancestral seasonal rites across the regions. Some traditions are strongly commercialised for visitors, yet many remain genuinely practised by local communities. Living heritage here is rich and varied. |
Before you go
Cards widely accepted; EUR. Cash for small shops and market stalls.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 — source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 — source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 — source
- World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 — source
- WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, People using safely managed drinking water services (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 — source
- World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (µg/m³) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 — source
- FiBL & IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022 (2020 data), organic share of agricultural land — source
- IUCN Red List via World Bank, threatened mammals, birds, fish and higher plants (summed), 2022 — source
- Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste, 2023 — source
- Food import share left blank: no reliably comparable import-dependency figure verified.
- Our World in Data (Global Carbon Project), CO2 emissions per capita, 2024. source
- Ember, Italy electricity data (renewables about 39% in 2023; solar about 12%). source
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Italy (Opera dei Pupi; canto a tenore; opera singing). source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Italy sustains a broad living heritage, from opera and bel canto singing to regional folk forms such as the tarantella and Salento pizzica, Sardinian canto a tenore polyphony and Sicilian Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre. Community events including the Venice and Ivrea carnivals and the Palio di Siena remain deeply rooted, alongside Catholic patronal processions and ancestral seasonal rites across the regions. Some traditions are strongly commercialised for visitors, yet many remain genuinely practised by local communities. Living heritage here is rich and varied.
- Opera and bel canto singing
- tarantella and Salento pizzica folk dances
- Sardinian canto a tenore polyphony
- Sicilian Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre
- Venice and Ivrea carnivals and the Palio di Siena
- Catholic patronal processions and seasonal rites.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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