The best VPN services have seen a huge wave of interest in the past year thanks to the huge increase in people working from home, as well as the ever-growing interest in personal online privacy. VPN services encrypt all your internet traffic so intermediaries, such as your internet service provider, can’t snoop on what you’re doing online.
All the top providers have long lists of countries that you can connect through. If you’re in Italy, then selecting an Italy VPN server will usually be the fastest connection. However, even if you’re outside of the country, you may still want to connect through a VPN in Italy. In this article, we’ll run through the top reasons to use a VPN in the Mediterranean nation, and what benefits it could offer you.
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1. Access blocked web pages
The Italian government blocks access to over 7,000 websites from within the country. Most blocks are targeted at gambling sites that don’t have a local Italian license, but it also blocks peer-to-peer file-sharing websites that many people use to illegally share copyrighted material, like movies, TV, software, and music.
If you’re in Italy, you can get around these content blocks by using a VPN. All your internet traffic is encrypted, so no one can see what you’re accessing. Your internet service provider, therefore, can’t block specific websites.
2. Stream foreign Netflix content from within Italy
Streaming video services, like Netflix, often have geo-restrictions on certain content, meaning that every country’s Netflix library is slightly different. If you’re in Italy, you get access to around 5,005 movies and TV shows. In comparison, the Netflix Japan library, for example, has over 6,100 titles, many of which are unavailable in Italy.
So, if you’re in Italy, you can connect to a VPN server in Japan to view the blocked content. Since Netflix believes that you’re viewing the service from within Japan, you get access to exclusive content. There are over 1,000 movies and TV shows on Netflix exclusive to Japan, including Paradise Next, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu), and Cells at Work! CODE BLACK (Hataraku Saibō! Burakku).
The same goes for pretty much any other country, including the UK, US, Canada, Germany and others – but a Netflix VPN can get you watching.
3. Stream exclusive Italian content from outside of Italy
Similarly, Netflix Italy has around 250 exclusive movies and TV shows that you can only watch if you’re connecting from within the country. If you’re outside of Italy, you can connect to a VPN server in Italy to gain access to these titles, including I Love You in Every Language in the World (Ti amo in tutte le lingue del mondo), The Last Kiss (L’ultimo bacio), and The Family Friend (L’amico di famiglia). It’s also often one of the few ways to get Italian-dubbed audio on US movies.
4. Have improved internet privacy
Without the use of an encrypted connection, your internet service provider has access to at least some of your internet browsing history and usage. Email, for example, is an old protocol that wasn’t designed with privacy in mind. When you send an email across the internet, it’s relatively easy for intermediaries to see the subject, recipient, and even the contents of your email.
A VPN service creates a secure tunnel around your internet communication, so it’s almost impossible for third parties to see what’s being sent back and forth, even when you’re using less secure protocols, like email. Using a VPN represents additional peace of mind when you perform actions online that you want to remain private.
5. Have safer public internet browsing
Another place where your internet use becomes precarious is when you connect through public Wi-Fi spots, such as those in coffee shops. If you’re traveling through Italy, you may use such free Wi-Fi hotspots often. It’s quite easy for a malicious actor to intercept your communication. From there, they can attempt to read your emails, access your online banking accounts, or otherwise steal your identity.
A VPN is a good way to protect your data even when you’re out and about using public Wi-Fi hotspots. With most good VPN services offering mobile clients, you can even protect the communication that you perform using your smartphone.
What's the best VPN for people in Italy?
