Summary: Italy is somewhere in the middle when it comes to internet censorship, with strict regulations on pubic networks and gambling sites.

If a gambling site isn’t licensed in the country, access to it is blocked automatically. To bypass these content blocks and protect your privacy in Italy, the easiest thing to do is use a VPN.

By hiding your IP address and routing your connection through a remote server, a VPN tricks servers into thinking you’re accessing from somewhere else, opening up your content availability.

For the fastest connection anywhere in Europe and access to all the content you want, use Express VPN.

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Why Is My Access Limited?

Internet use in Italy is some of the strictest and least available in all of Europe.

The country has strict bans on gambling sites that are not licensed in the country, and in 2007, the OpenNet Initiative determined that access to 7,000 websites was filtered.

On top of that, only 32% of internet users in Italy have access to Wi-Fi, thanks to the country’s strict limitations on establishing public networks.

If you live in Italy or plan on visiting, it’s time to start figuring out how you’re going to take your accessibility back and prevent government surveillance from spying on your activity.

One of the simplest and most effective ways is by using a VPN.

What is a VPN?

VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are like secret tunnels in the internet.

It’s a paid subscription service that gives you privacy and a secure connection while opening up your access to blocked content, regardless of your geographic location. Here’s how it works:

1. You sign up for a service plan through a company.
2. Once you download the software, you select a server location and connect.
3. Your IP address is blocked, and you’re given the one in the country of the server you’ve chosen, circumventing content blocks entirely.
4. Your data is encrypted, so even if it is intercepted, it’s completely secure and private.

VPNs are extremely good at what they do, and are handy for getting around content restrictions as well as protecting your data on unsecured networks.

Top 3 VPNs for Italy

With so many options out there, it can be hard to know which VPNs are worth your money.

Here are a few of the most popular ones on the web, and how they compare for speed, security, and accessibility in Italy.

#1 Choice:  Express VPN – 9/10 – Great for online gaming and streaming

Express VPN is definitely the industry leader for VPNs, and for a good reason.

Their connection speed is unparalleled, making them great for things that demand a fast connection, like online gaming and streaming.

It’s also incredibly reliable, so your information is never left exposed because of a drop from the server.

Where Express VPN really shines though is their customer support.

They have staff available 24/7 to answer your questions via live chat and e-mail. What’s really amazing is how prompt they are – average e-mail response times are less than 20 minutes!

On top of that, Express VPN guarantees their service with a no-questions-asked 30 day money back guarantee, so you never have to worry about haggling for a refund.

They even have this awesome referral program that gives you and a friend a month of free service when you get them to sign up!

As far as their plans go, you get completely unlimited bandwidth and two simultaneous connections with all of them, so you can protect both a home and mobile device for no additional charge.

Their software is compatible with all major operating systems, and is super easy to use.

Plus, with their military grade encryption, your data is always private, and always secure.

If you want fast, and if you want secure, then trust me, you want Express VPN.

#2:  IPVanish – 7/10 – Fast connection, but not compatible with iOS

IPVanish is another good option to look into if you need a VPN that’s cheap and gets it done.

Their service is definitely lacking in some of the features that Express VPN has, but their connection is fast and reliable, and generally good enough for streaming and downloading.

IPVanish, like Express VPN, comes with unlimited bandwidth and two simultaneous connections, so you can use it to cover multiple devices for no additional fee.

The trouble is, their software isn’t compatible with all operating systems, so you can’t use it on iPhones or iPads.

Though IPVanish works on Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux systems, it’s not yet compatible with iOS

Another thing to keep in mind is IPVanish doesn’t have a live support option.

Though their service is reasonably fast, you usually wind up waiting a few hours to hear back on e-mail inquiries, and they can’t be reached by live chat or phone.

Also keep in mind that their refund policy is only a quarter as long as Express VPN’s, so you only have two weeks to get your money back if you decide it’s not for you.

However, with strong encryption and a fast, reliable connection, IPVanish is another good choice for powering through content blocks in Italy.

IPVanish can be found at this website.

#3: HideMyAss– 5/10 – Slow, unreliable connection

Though HideMyAss has a lot of the same features as Express VPN, their service is severely lacking in quality. For starters, their connection is mind-numbingly slow.

If you plan to use this VPN to stream movies or do some gambling, be prepared for lots of buffering, and a choppy, unreliable connection that could drop right in the middle of a session.

What’s really bothersome about this is that, if and when you’re dropped from a HideMyAss server, your data is left completely open and exposed.

You’ll have to hope that nobody notices your data is free for the taking at that moment.

Even though HideMyAss’s customer support is 24/7, I’ve found that I usually wind up waiting at least overnight to hear back on e-mail inquiries with them.

Even worse, even their live options aren’t always viable, with hold times that are at least five minutes no matter when I contact them.

All in all, it just seems like HideMyAss has more customers than they can handle, and the quality of their service really suffers as the result.

The good news is, you can get all of the same features with way better quality with Express VPN.

HideMyAss is here.

Conclusion: Use Express VPN for Fast, Unlimited Access

Italy is something of an anomaly when it comes to access and restriction in Europe.

Their tight regulation of public networks has limited their population severely in regards to wireless access.

It’s clear that more legislation is in the works to impose further content filtering and surveillance.

Though these measures may seem limiting, Express VPN is a simple and effective way around them, and pretty soon you’ll realize that all of the legislation in the world can’t limit your access.

By routing your connection through a secure server in another country, you can bypass content blocks entirely.

State of the art encryption keeps your data safe from hackers, and IP address blocking makes you untraceable by snooping government agencies.

To take back your privacy and access blocked content in Italy, use Express VPN.