Best VPN for Italy

Don’t let Italy’s unique sites, delicious food, and luxury fashion houses distract you from online restrictions and surveillance. Even though the internet in Italia is free with easy access and very little censorship, the web isn’t exactly La vita è bella. Several issues remain, including geo-blocks, privacy intrusions, and torrenting limitations. For these reasons and more, the best VPN for Italy is a handy tool.

And since there are a lot of providers to choose from, our experts took it upon themselves to make things easier for you. We put several VPN services under the microscope to see which one deserves to be the best VPN for Italy. So if you’re an Italian ex-pat or planning to visit the country, keep reading.

How the Internet Looks Like in Italy

Italy isn’t just one of the world’s top destinations for tourists. Sure, the boot-shaped country is famous for its arts, museums, food, wine, sites, and scenery, but it’s also a great place to live or settle. In its Best Countries index, U.S. News has Italy in 16th place for 2021, with a total score of 78.7/100.

According to the report, held in partnership with BAV Group and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Italy dominates the cultural influence category. It also ranks second in both adventure and heritage. And if you’re considering a long-term or permanent move, Italy scored 100 on the family-friendly test.

Furthermore, Freedom House labeled the European country as free in its Freedom in the World report and gave it 90/100.

Also, according to Freedom House, Italy has a free internet status. The non-profit organization says that the country lags behind its EU counterparts in overall connectivity, but it has made several efforts to close the gap. “Limits on political, social, and religious content are minimal, websites that host copyright-infringing and gambling content are blocked,” it added.

The government also expanded the legal mandate for surveillance, introducing new requirements for wiretapping phones and computers.

Freedom House

After all, Italy is part of the 14-Eyes alliance, an international coalition of intelligence agencies that monitor, collect, and share user data.

Italy: 76/100

8 Reasons to Get the Best VPN for Italy

We believe the internet should be an unlimited source of information and a means to bring people closer together. But most importantly, you should be able to go online without anyone snooping on your activities and access your favorite content without restrictions.

Therefore, you need the best VPN for Italy if you’re abroad.

1- Escape Online Surveillance

Whether it’s ISPs, government agencies, or hackers trying to intercept your data, everything you do online is always monitored. Well, that’s during regular browsing sessions, at least. But when you connect to a VPN server, your internet traffic goes through a highly-secure, encrypted tunnel, preventing anyone from tracking you. And trust us, you’ll need it.

As we mentioned earlier, Italy is a member of 14 Eyes, an alliance between intelligence agencies to collect and share users’ online information. That includes the websites you visit, your location, identity, etc. The US, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Denmark, France, and the UK are also part of this privacy-invasive coalition.

Additionally, your ISP can see what you do online no matter where you are, and it will hand your data to the authorities upon request.

So to avoid all the above, Premium VPNs encrypt your traffic using military-grade AES encryption with 256-bit keys. It’s so far impossible to break because it generates trillion possible outcomes and several rounds of cyphering.

2- Protect Your Data on Public WiFi

Connecting to public hotspots when you’re abroad is very common. After all, it’s free, and your mobile data bundle could be expired or limited. And you’ll find public connections pretty much everywhere you go – hotels, airports, cafes, restaurants, etc. – so why not use them?

Well, these networks usually have weak security protocols that hackers exploit to steal your data. It includes passwords to your email and other accounts, banking credentials, and important work or personal files. Cybercriminals resort to all sorts of techniques, like creating malicious duplicates of the WiFi connection. Then, they infiltrate your device as soon as you connect.

Other methods include WiFi eavesdropping, packet sniffing, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

But VPN encryption will protect all your data and prevent hackers from stealing it, even if they intercept it.

3- No User Data Logs

Unlike your ISP, VPN servers don’t keep records of your internet activities or connection. They wipe out sensitive data like browsing history and IP addresses from their databases and only keep minimal information like session durations and selected servers, which doesn’t jeopardize your identity, location, or privacy.

As a result, even if hackers or the authorities seize a VPN server, they won’t find any useful information to track users. That doesn’t mean we encourage or condone illegal activities through VPNs. But privacy is everyone’s right.

4- Access Your Favorite Content

You’ll find your local streaming platforms unavailable abroad. Due to content copyright issues, these services use geo-blocking technology to keep out overseas users. Therefore, it will be hard for you to keep up with your favorite shows, news, and sports in Italy or anywhere else outside your country.

However, top-rated VPNs have reliable servers all over the world. All you have to do is connect to a location that matches the channel’s broadcasting market, and you’ll have instant streaming access. For example, to keep watching HBO Max, Hulu, or Peacock series online from Italy, choose any American server. And if you don’t want to miss British programs when abroad, connect to a UK server to stream BBC IPlayer, ITV Hub, Now TV, and Channel 4.

5- Torrent Safely

Italy blocks websites that host copyright-infringing content, including series, movies, music, and academic papers. But torrenting isn’t illegal in the country. Nonetheless, downloading copyrighted material could get you in trouble with labels, studios, and other rights holders, leading to fines or the termination of your internet connection.

The best VPN for Italy will protect you from copyright trolls by hiding your online location and identity. Consequently, all your P2P activities will be safe and secret, even from network peers. Of course, not all VPNs support torrenting, so our experts only picked premium providers with P2P servers.

6- Gaming Without Interruptions

Internet service providers reduce your connection speed on purpose when you’re gaming or streaming because you consume too much bandwidth. And we understand the frustration of playing against friends and opponents, only to lose because of lag.

VPNs give you the upper hand by encrypting your traffic and preventing your ISP from throttling your connection. They also protect you from players with bad sportsmanship, who hire DDoS gangs to attack and crash your connection and throw you out of the game.

7- End Censorship

Just like the best VPN for Italy bypasses geo-restrictions, it can also help you avoid censorship. The country blocks copyright-infringing and gambling websites, meaning the internet status there isn’t 100% free and accessible. But by connecting to a foreign VPN server, you’ll have access to any site or online service you want.

More importantly, your ISP and the authorities won’t find out about it. The military-grade encryption hides your browsing activities, while the zero-logs policy prevents anyone from digging up any records. And again, we don’t encourage VPN usage for committing crimes or doing anything else illegal.

8- Save Money

While the best VPN for Italy will cost you a small fee (although you could save more than 70% if you subscribe to yearly packages), they allow you to save a lot of money on other things. For example, you can get discounted prices on plane tickets, hotel bookings, clothes, shoes, toys, and any product you buy online.

You see, you unlock new markets when you connect to VPN servers outside your region. Therefore, you can find materials for much less in a different location. Besides, VPNs offer great value for money as you’ll benefit from them whenever you go online.

The Best VPN for Italy Selection

We rounded up the best 4 VPNs to save you the trouble. Among all the providers we tested, the ones below earned the highest scores. Some may be better than others in certain aspects, but overall, you’ll get unrestricted access and total online privacy no matter which VPN you choose.

ExpressVPN

Our experts picked the British Virgin Islands service as the best VPN for Italy. It offers 3,000+ servers in 94 countries and 160 locations worldwide. Plus, it works with the most popular streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, ESPN+, BBC iPlayer, and more. These servers also support torrenting and P2P activities.

In terms of privacy and security, ExpressVPN uses AES encryption with 256-bit keys, follows a strict zero-logs policy, and has an automatic kill switch to prevent data leaks. Moreover, the apps are user-friendly, and you can install them on most devices, including iOS, Android, PC, Windows, and Kindle Fire.

ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to fully test the service before committing.

BulletVPN

Despite a smaller number of servers than most premium VPNs, BulletVPN runs a top service. It covers 55+ countries and has a perfect unblocking record. We tried over 40 streaming channels, and BulletVPN worked with each one, including Kayo Sports, DStv, Showmax, and TVNZ. What’s even more impressive is their UltraHD servers, which offer high speeds perfect for streaming.

The Estonia-based provider – safely outside 14 Eyes jurisdiction – is also well-equipped to protect your privacy. You’ll benefit from AES-256 encryption, a no-logs policy, kill switch protection, and a unique BulletShield feature that won’t give you internet access unless you connect to a VPN.

You can use BulletVPN on up to 6 devices simultaneously with just one account and install it on your computer, phone, or tablet. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you have any doubts about the service.

Unlocator

You won’t find Unlocator on most lists of VPN recommendations, but this service has a lot to offer at a competitive price. You’ll find all the privacy must-haves, like military-grade encryption, zero logs, and a kill switch. Add Unlocator Shield to the latter feature, and the VPN will make sure you won’t access the internet unless you’re using a VPN.

But what impressed us the most was Unlocator’s streaming support. It worked with most channels, probably because of its excellent Smart DNS service. Subscribing to Unlocator Hybrid gets you both the privacy of a VPN and the access of a Smart DNS service.

NordVPN

NordVPN Is a veteran in the VPN industry with a solid reputation in privacy and security. In addition to the usual military-grade encryption and zero-logging policy, The Panama-based provider offers an ad-blocker, double VPN protection, and a kill switch. It also has its version of WireGuard called NordLynx.

Moreover, NordVPN’s network counts over 5,000 servers and covers 60 countries. It gives you access to most streaming servers and has apps for the most used devices and operating systems. And just like any premium service, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

VPNs You Should Avoid

Despite a few minor drawbacks, premium providers are still your best reliable bet for internet safety and freedom. Meanwhile, free VPNs don’t even cover the basic must-have features.

• Data collection, no encryption: Free VPNs make money by collecting and selling your data. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to encrypt or delete it.
• Limited, slow servers: Users usually get a narrow choice of three servers to connect to, compared to the thousands premium providers offer.
• Bandwidth caps: Think you can use your free VPN as much as you like? Think again. It’s either limited usage or upgrade to premium version (if available).
• Laughable streaming support: Netflix and other platforms easily detect and block the IP addresses that free VPNs provide. And with few servers, it’s impossible for these providers to give you access to your favorite shows anyway.

So stick to our VPN recommendations; you’ll use them every time you go online.

How We Picked the Best VPN for Italy

Our experts delve into each VPN as if their jobs depended on it (it so does). The VPNs go through several detailed tests covering every aspect and category. But the focus here is on the key features below:

Best Italy VPN – Device Support

Install your favorite VPN on 5 devices minimum at the same time. Protect your phone, PC, Mac, and more.

FAQ

Here are the answers to the most common questions.

Best VPN for Italy – O Bella Ciao

Whether you’re streaming, online shopping, checking your bank account, or just browsing the web, the best VPN in Italy will come in handy every time. This tool will protect your data, hide your activities, and give you unrestricted internet access, which is exactly what you need, especially in a new country.

But some VPNs will cause more damage to your security and privacy, which is why we advise you to only consider premium brands. We did all the homework for you and tested dozens of VPN providers. Select anyone from our recommendation list, and you’ll get instant protection and access.