Rental in Italy: the most popular provincial capitals in the second trimester of 2026

Bolzano topped the ranking of the relative demand index for the rental market in the second trimester of 2026, while Milan and Rome did not even make it into the top 10.

Those looking for rental housing in Italy are facing challenging times: the market continues to face high demand, and the average monthly rent has reached its highest level since 2012. But where is the rush most felt?

The report from the idealista/data think tank for the second trimester of 2026 provides a detailed picture of rental demand in Italy’s provincial capitals and holds a few surprises. Bolzano tops the rankings, with Milan and Rome lagging far behind. However, it's important to understand the numbers correctly.

Research Methodology

The analysis was conducted based on two key indicators:

• Relative Demand Index – reflects the level of demand pressure on supply in a particular region. It is calculated based on the average number of contacts per ad (including emails and ad sharing).
• Average Posting Time — the average number of days a rental ad remains on the site before it is removed from publication.

Cities with the Highest Rental Demand

Bolzano is at the top of the list with a relative demand index of 48.25. This result is far ahead of other cities and indicates a colossal supply shortage with huge demand.

Second and third places were taken by Rimini (38.83) and Prato (33.90).

The top five was rounded out by Trento (32.80) and Pordenone (30.72), which confirms the high activity in the rental market in the north-east and in the center of the country.

The top ten also included:

• Brescia (26.60) and Verona (24.35) — traditionally dynamic markets in Lombardy and Veneto;
• Imperia (23.25);
• Pistoia (22.57);
• Forlì (21.84).

How the largest metropolitan areas are coping

Among the giants, Rome showed the best result, taking 16th place with an index of 20.47 and an average “lifetime” of 32 days.

Other metropolitan areas turned out to be significantly lower:

• Turin — 34th place (index 14.71; 30 days);
• Genoa — 32nd place (index 14.89; 31 days);
• Bologna — 54th place (index 12.26; 28 days).

The main surprise was the position of Milan: with an index of only 6.83, it was only in 85th place out of 110 cities. At first glance, this seems paradoxical for the city with the highest rents in Italy. However, this is easily explained by the index's specific nature: when supply is strictly limited and prices act as a strict filter, the number of responses per listing decreases compared to cities where housing is more affordable and plentiful. Meanwhile, Milan has the highest overall volume (stock) of listings published on the platform. In Milan, adverts are posted for an average of 41 days.

As for other large cities:

• Florence — 67th place (index 10.03; 42 days);
• Naples — 79th place (index 8.06; 41 days);
• Palermo — 80th place (index 7.97; 53 days).

Overall, 48 administrative centres showed a demand index above the Italian average, which was 13.03.

Where apartments are rented the fastest and slowest

The listing exposure time indicator gives an additional idea of the market speed.

Record holders for the fastest rental housing:

1. Trieste - listings are rented in just 10 days;
2. Rovigo - 14 days;
3. Pordenone - 15 days;
4. Prato - 16 days;
5. Ravenna - 17 days.

In these cities, demand absorbs supply almost instantly.

Where ads hang out the longest:

• Urbino — a record 262 days;
• Mass — 175 days;
• Enna — 165 days.

In these places, ads remain open for months looking for tenants.

The south of Italy and the islands are at the bottom of the list.

The lower part of the ranking is occupied mainly by cities in the southern regions (Mezzogiorno).