Università degli Studi di Padova

In the first semester I stayed in an appartment in an area of university appartments on Via Monte Cengio. Unfortunately these appartments were very big with 10 or 11 students in each, they were old and in need of repair. I should mention that they have now been refurbished. In my second semester I stayed in a private appartment on Via Pietro Canal which was sublett to the university. It was great, and the ratings I gave for my accommodation apply to it.

The Erasmus society in Padova was excellent at organizing events, meetings, discounts at bars and clubs, and were very friendly. Places I enjoyed included: 1) Banale - night club, and Banale Estivo, the summer version which is held outside of the city in the open air during the warm months of the summer. There is a free bus from the city centre. 2) The Fish Market - a smaller night club were there was excellent live jazz once a week. 3) Bourbon Street - another night club which some regarded as slightly dodgy but could still be good. 4) There's a cafe in Pizza dei Signori which does excellent hot chocolate. 5) The ice cream place in Pizza Garibaldi. 6) Theme bars such as the Highlander, The Indiana Jones bar and the australian bar.

My advice is to take a course in the langiage of the the country that you are going to before you go. Don't just try an teach yourself, take a proper course, it will be worth it. I went out speaking about 3 words of Italian with the promise by my home university that it would be ok as I would get lessons. I did get lessons, which I enjoyed, and my language improved so I could handle myself in most situations by the end of my time there but I definitely lost out academically because language was a bit of a barrier, especially at the start and especially with technical descriptions used in my courses.

When I was there Italian banks had a monthly charge for having an account. It may be a better idea, depending on the amount of time you are there for, to get a UK accoount which has a Cirrus option so you can withdraw money in Italy (for a small fee).

Try to balance the social aspects with the academic aspects. This might be difficult as the Erasmus association in Padova was so good at organizing events but it will definitely be better when you balance things out. Also don't forget to take a few day trips or weekend trips to see the different cities, the trains are normally very good (get a carte verde) and it's a beautiful country.