A Glance at the Healthiest Country - ITALY!

 Italy! popularly referred to as the 'high - heeled boot surrounded by 5 seas'' ranked the healthiest country by the Bloomberg Global Health index 2017. This puts Iceland which was named the healthiest country in 2015 in 2nd place.


Not surprising most of the top ranked were developed countries. The study which took into account life expectancy, mortality as a result of disease and injuries, health risks; physical inactivity, high blood pressure and tobacco use, to availability of clean water in 163 countries showed that life expectancy in Italy is about 80 years when compared to some developing countries with life expectancy of 50 years.

So we took a closer look at life in Italy!

The country plays host to over 60 million people and famous for its unique food and beverage; pizza, pasta, wine, coffee, fresh fruits and vegetable and extra virgin olive oil. The Italian cuisine is indeed popular and you are sure to find the diners in many major cities.
 
Italy is also famous for its tourist attraction owing to its architectural heritage and beautiful scenery, with views of mountains, seas, hills and cities of art. The people are also seen to be warm and friendly and the society is founded on family ties. Tourists have argued about the high cost of living but this has been noted to only be in high brow areas and tourist hotspots. But like most countries, there are economic challenges which include high unemployment rates, increasing gap between the rich and poor, and indeed the high cost of amenities. These have been linked to politics and importation of resources like fuel, gas etc.  Bearing some of these challenges in mind it is said you can live affordably in some areas particularly in the south where food and amenities are relatively cheap in comparison with living in the north which is dominated by the rich.

So is this enough to be ranked the 'healthiest country'? We looked even closer
Italy in comparison with other neighbouring European countries (Switzerland, Greeze, Malta, Croatia) has a relatively cheap public transport system. This has been deemed to alleviate stress as a result of commuting and movement. There is also preference for grown fresh fruits and vegetables which can be found easily and quite affordable. In addition there are strict food laws preventing excess use of preservatives and colouring such that fanta soft drink is a natural shade of yellow and not orange. The Italians also pay careful attention the their afternoon siestas. In addition and very importantly Italy has a high rate of doctors, health specialists and dentists even in the rural areas. The public hospitals are also very good, offering quality health care services and costs for health care is ridiculously cheap or free for EU citizens especially.

So if you are thinking of relocating to Italy please check your travel guide for expert advise ☺. Also see helpful link http://www.worldtravelguide.net/italy