UK holidaymakers in Italy have been cautioned about a city deemed “impossible” to inhabit. Palermo, Sicily’s capital, has the unhappiest residents in Europe, according to a new happiness index surveying various European Union cities.
The research revealed that only 62% of individuals were content with life in Palermo, and a mere 4% believed it was feasible to secure a good job in the city. The city was also considered too loud, with only 6% of respondents deeming it clean.
Despite these findings, the coastal city remains a highly sought-after holiday spot. The EU Commission posed a series of quality-of-life questions to residents in 83 European cities, with Palermo ranking last.
Zurich is officially the most desirable place to live in Europe, with 97% of its inhabitants expressing satisfaction with their lives there. Residents praised their employment, public transport, healthcare, and air quality.
However, it wasn’t entirely flawless, as most people found it challenging to find affordable housing, reports Birmingham Live.
Responding to the rankings, one individual expressed surprise that Vienna didn’t make the list, noting: “I’m surprised Vienna isn’t on the list. One of the city council’s proud claims is that, “In Vienna, it is impossible to discern a person’s income from their address.” The top five also included Groningen, Gdansk, Leipzig, and Copenhagen.
“I have never lived in Vienna but visited it twice: once in 1972 as a 19 year old. Loved it. Beautiful city. Nice neighborhoods, great architecture, clean, nice people. More recently, around 2018 I hated it. Overrun with tourists, hectic, overpopulated with high end stores whose windows befaul the beautiful architecture of the buildings behind them,” another traveller shared.
The remaining cities that made up the bottom five were Naples, Athens and Istanbul, along with Tirana in Albania.