Università Degli Studi di Perugia

During the colder months, Caffe Morlacchi, on Piazza Morlacchi is where you'll find the studenty crowd necking their espresso's. The music there is alternative and timeless, and they have live nights on mon. Cavaliere, is the foreign student's hang out, usually filled to the brim with Americans though on a tues night, but one of the rare places where they play hip-hop and R&B, and the guys that Dj there also work for one of the three clubs in the centre, and so it's never too hard to get yourself a free pass-if you're female that is! Bar Birraio, is a very relaxed, arty bar, with music that gives Caffe Morlacchi a run for it's money-and they do glasses of sangria for E2.50, and you get free nibbles! The clubs in the centre are unfortunately over-cramped and under air-conditioned, the music selections are abismaal-Eurotrash all the way, though you will inevitably end up trying them out for size, though if they really don't take your fancy, don't despair coz the bars stay open till 2 every night of the week, which for us poor deprived-of-drinking-time-Brits, usually suffices! The one decent place in town is Velvet, with commercial house, but be prepared to take part in the fashion wars! The big discoteca's are on the outskirts, and are only open on sat night, but the goon news is that you can take a free bus there and back to most of them, from the square outside of the foreigner's uni. The main public event's to take place here are Eurochocolate, around October, which is basically just one big open-air chocolate shop, with the odd spectacle like carving figures out of blocks of chocolate in the main high street and then giving the chippings away for free-min you, remember that they have been trodden on by the artistes!! The other is the Umbria Jazz festival which takes place in the first half of July, which attracts hoards of people and artists as great as Sting, Van Morrison and James Brown-who I will be seeing live this year!

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You will take what you put into it. This is an area that unless you go to extraordinary lenghs to improve, will disappoint you even after a year, if only for the fact that you are just beginning to master it when it's time to leave. I made a conscious effort to find tandem partners to meet up with to practice speaking, because my comprehension of the language has improved more than 100%, and included in that are reading and listening skills. Though to be actively using the language yourself through speach of writing takes practice.

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I would totally recommend studying out here. You have the advantage of being able to study the Italian language at the most prestigious foreigner's uni in Italy. You are a 2/3 hour train ride from the capital. There is a very lively student population and you won't ever know what it means to 'hang out on the steps' unless you come here!!