Best VPNs for Italy

Italy is one of the most picturesque countries, and its history is so rich; its architecture is pretty amazing. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to keep an eye on your privacy there. And one should bear in mind that it is better to prevent cyber attacks than to cope with the problems provided in such cases.

Look at our top rated VPN providers that will help you to avoid troubles while surfing the Net:

1. ExpressVPN will allow you to unblock restricted websites in Italy safely.
2. NordVPN is a perfect choice for Italy as it’s super-fast and secure.
3. CyberGhost uses robust protocols and military-grade encryption.
4. VyprVPN provides its customers with simple apps and 24/7 support.
5. IPVanish is cross-platform software available on all popular platforms.

Italy generally maintains an open internet, but its website-blocking policies have raised concerns about overblocking and transparency. In February 2024, the government introduced Piracy Shield, a system designed to block websites distributing copyrighted content illegally. However, the system has also restricted access to legitimate services by mistake.

In October 2024, for example, a blocking order briefly made Google Drive inaccessible in Italy. In 2025, Italy expanded the system to cover more types of live audiovisual content, raising further concerns about the scope of online restrictions and safeguards against wrongful blocking.

Freedom of speech In Italy

Italy has so far allowed citizens to access most content available over the internet. However, things are rapidly changing. n recent years, the Italian government has expanded the powers of its internet regulator, AGCOM, to restrict access to websites accused of copyright infringement.

Under Italy's Piracy Shield system, introduced in February 2024, copyright holders can request the rapid blocking of websites and IP addresses allegedly distributing protected content, particularly live sports broadcasts. In July 2025, AGCOM extended these measures to all live audiovisual content.

Critics have raised concerns about the system's safeguards, as blocks can take effect within 30 minutes and appeals do not automatically suspend them. In October 2024, Google Drive was briefly blocked in Italy following an erroneous Piracy Shield order, demonstrating how legitimate services can be affected by the system.

The abuse of user rights is relatively infrequent in Italy, but journalists and social media users should be aware of criminal defamation laws. Freedom House's 2025 report notes that defamation lawsuits and costly legal proceedings can encourage online journalists to self-censor.

Privacy concerns also remain. The EU's top court has repeatedly challenged indiscriminate communications data retention. Although authorities cite crime prevention and counterterrorism, broad retention rules raise concerns about ordinary users' privacy.

VPN for Italy to bypass censorship

Notwithstanding the fact that Italy does NOT impose restrictions on social media or news websites' use, there are some cases of restrictions concerned with a lack of facility to visit web services.

Wikipedia censorship in Italy

In 2011, the Italian Wikipedia community temporarily disabled access to its pages in protest against a government bill that was under discussion.

According to the proposed law, websites would have had to publish corrections within 48 hours of receiving a request from someone who considered published information damaging to their reputation, without an independent assessment of the claim.

These measures were criticized as a threat to online freedom of expression, as they could have forced websites to publish corrections without a court ruling. The bill was never adopted in that form.

Although this incident is historical, more recent cases show that access to online content remains a concern. A VPN can sometimes help users access websites affected by location-based restrictions, although it cannot guarantee access to content blocked by every method.

TV censorship in Italy

The Italian television industry has long faced concerns about political influence and media ownership concentration. According to the Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report, overall trust in news in Italy stood at just 36%. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders ranked Italy 49th out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, citing concerns about political interference and threats against journalists.

Italians may also encounter restrictions on audiovisual content because of copyright rules or regional licensing agreements. However, these restrictions are different from political censorship, and a VPN does not guarantee access to every unavailable program. It can help users access some geo-restricted streaming services by connecting through a server in another country.

Content restrictions for Italian IP

As it is mentioned above, the Italian government tends to restrict access to some websites, as they are stated to bring harm and danger to their users.

What websites undergo blocking in Italy?

As a rule, the services are blacklisted in Italy in case they contain:

• copyrighted material shared without authorization;
• illegal gambling services;
• child sexual abuse material;
• terrorist content;
• websites or streams that violate applicable laws.

The arguments presented, explain why Italy takes the 56^th position in “Reporters Without Borders” ranking.

Censorship leaves nothing but necessity to acquire a VPN provider for Italy in order to get freedom in the internet space.

Laws on Internet Rights

According to the Constitution of Italy, there is freedom of speech and mass media, as well as the privacy of correspondence. But some civil laws are not always interpreted consistently. And sometimes it forms ambiguous situations when judges deliver different judgments on almost the same cases linked to Internet freedom. That is why advocates dealing with the following matters concentrated on proposing legal improvements to strengthen protection.

As a result of it, in July 2015, the "Declaration of Internet Rights”, which is of non-regulatory principles, was released. It has been the first European country to release such a declaration. It defends the right to Internet access, privacy, net neutrality, and anonymity. However, not all the observers were satisfied with it as they believed that it had failed to protect free speech, copyright, and the protection of encryption.

To some extent, certain acts bring some danger to freedom on the net in Italy. In April 2015, an antiterrorism law was enacted, and it extended the criminal code to include terrorist recruitment. Some critics are concerned that it will be applied in many cases, and sanctions will be applied to the rightful examples of free speaking out, which is provided by international norms. Fortunately, enforcement agencies will not be able to remotely interfere with personal computers.

What about Scrutiny, Privacy, and Anonymity in Italy?

Coming to Italy as a tourist, one has to take into consideration some facts that may seem to be the norm for the local citizens. You might be wondering:

Monitoring in Italy is habitual

If you are in Italy, don’t worry about surveillance of your private phone conversations or chats on the net, because it is allowed to monitor private communications only if there is a warrant. Technical tracking is not widely spread in the country.

NB: ISPs are obliged to keep data, for example, broadband internet info, net telephony, internet usage via mobile phone, and email activity. The data can be revealed only if there is a response from a judge or lawyer. Law enforcement agencies can ask for access to the data in case of criminal investigations. IPs turn to third-party services to encrypt and store the data. (As it was mentioned above, they must retain the data up to 24 months).

Data on Italian netizens is stored

In addition, Italy’s expanded anti-terrorism laws allow the government to collect and store metadata of internet users. It’s highly unlikely that the digital rights of Italian citizens will improve soon. Until they do, users who access the internet from Italy can use a VPN to visit censored sites that are otherwise legitimate and stream videos seemingly blocked because of copyright violations.

VPNs also allow users to protect their privacy from government spies while online. Read ahead to find out the best VPN service that internet users in Italy can rely on for digital freedom:

How to find the best VPN for Italy?

It should be noted that a VPN for Italy is an indispensable tool while surfing the Internet. Since it has many positive sides, everyone should get the most suitable VPN provider.

But how?

• First of all, it is necessary to study its characteristics, such as the list of servers and their geographical locations, IP types, speed, bandwidth, and additional features like automatic kill switch and unlimited server switching.
• After one has found a VPN that allows accomplishing all desired activities on the Internet in Italy, it is necessary to check if it is compatible with the device.
• The next step in unlimited web surfing is the payment procedure. If one desires to be 100% anonymous and protected on the Internet, it is better to opt for payment with Bitcoin.

Besides, all the VPN features are relevant for a country such as Italy, and for many other countries that suffer from censorship as well.

Here is the list of the best VPNs for Italy in 2026:

Free VPN in Italy: does it really work?

Virtual Private Networks are usually used for such purposes as secrecy, security, and safety оn the Internet. They hide the information about user's location and guarantee protection against pirates and spies, as the IP address is decoded and cannot be seen.

VPN also allows watching streaming videos and movies that are prohibited in Italy. However, not all VPN providers are equally efficient.

Is it worth using free VPN for Italy?

It should be mentioned that one can choose either a free or a paid VPN provider. In this regard, some crucial points are to be taken into account:

• Paid VPNs provide their subscribers with security and anonymity of high quality, while free VPNs barely make them safe online.
• Another difference is in the quality. Free VPN providers often lack a professional live chat support service.
• There are cases when a free VPN records browser history and sells it to advertisers. Paid VPN guarantees your privacy while surfing the internet and follows a no-logging policy.
• Paid VPN provider ensures a stable connection, unlike a free VPN that has an overwhelming flood of users. Thus, the connection can be lost while speed is reduced.
• Unlimited number of servers in various countries around the globe is at users’ disposal in case they have opted for paid VPN services for Italy.

These facts seem to confirm the idea that it is better not to entrust security to free VPNs in Italy.

Conclusion

As it is described in the article, censorship in Italy is getting quite rough with totalitarian methods of controlling television, mass media, and the Internet. Thus, an acute need arises to use other means to receive all the necessary information.

VPN for Italy is definitely a good idea, as it helps to disguise you on the internet world and get the materials you want to possess. As it was mentioned above, a VPN has so many advantages, as it…

…provides you with safety and secrecy.

…gives you anonymity on the Internet.

…conceals the data about your present location.

…protects you against pirates and spies, even when using WI-FI in public places.

…hides your real IP address and gives you a new one.

…decodes all the information about your internet behavior;

…gives the ability to watch streaming videos and movies that may not be allowed in your country.

There is a choice between free VPN and paid VPN providers. As it was described above, they differ a lot in:

• secrecy degree;
• services quality;
• privacy guarantee;
• access stability;
• country diversity.

Thus, we can obviously make the conclusion that VPN is irreplaceable in today’s computerized world with the appearance of various spy and pirate systems. And it is up to everybody to decide which provider to get.