María's Erasmus Experience in Bologna

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Why did you choose to go to Bologna in Italy?

I chose Bologna because it has a very strong university and it's the best student city in Italy.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I receive two different grants:

• One from the European Union which is €300 per month over 9 months for having a level B2 (although they don't pay it to you month by month). The rest get the same but for only 7 months.
• Then I recieve €194 per month over 9 months from the Andalusian regional government.

What is the student lifestyle like in Bologna?

No matter day or night, the streets are always filled with students. Only students live in the centre. There are people from all over the world as well as Spanish Erasmus students around every corner.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Bologna to other students?

In my case I recommend it 100%.

What is the food like?

Well it is Italy after all, so you eat well. The most famous dishes are pizza and pasta cooked in different ways. But don't just focus on these as there are many other options as well. Tagliatella al ragú (spaghetti bolognese) and tortellini in brodo (pasta parcels in broth) are typical dishes from Bologna. Other very tasty dishes but which aren't from Bologna include pasta carbonara, pasta calcio e pepe, piadina de mozzarela e prosciuto, pasta al forno, panino caprese, pizza napolitana, pizza margherita (basic but very good) and lasagna. Source

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Bologna?

Very much so, even though I came over the summer with my parents it still took me more than I though it would. I know people who arrived in September without a flat only to return to Spain after not finding anything. It's not easy in halls of residence either, as the majority only accept Italian students and the only international one I know is very far away not to mention expensive. You need to arrive either very early or with a big budget or not care so much about the conditions in the flat and sharing a bedroom.

How much does it cost to live in Bologna?

It depends upon how much you pay for your flat, almost all my money goes towards that, (€500) and then around €300 in food and the odd trip. Take into account that the cost of living is more expensive than in Spain and that accomodation is very expensive. The affordability of supermarkets vary significantly, generally food is more expensive and the best value ones are Lidl, Eurospin and close to the centre Pam.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the university?

I came without ever having studied Italian and after three months here I can hold my own (have a conversation with Italians who don't speak Spanish), what's hardest is the grammar.

I would suggest that you sign up for the courses offered by the university which during the first semeter are free, and that you make a group of Italian friends as well as a Spanish one, which I'm sure you'll have, and practice with them. Tandem exchanges are also organised in Empire and Lab16.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Bologna from your city?

By plane. Ryanair, although it is uncomfortable, is the fastest and cheapest option. Once you are here, you can take out the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) card which will give you a 15% discount and a suitcase checked in for free by Ryanair lasting 8 flights (this comes in handy when coming back home for Christmas and more).

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in?

It depends upon the atmosphere you're looking for:

• Erasmus parties: On Mondays people flock to Café Paris to drink.
• On Tuesdays its Sodapops (a small bar in the centre which has free entrance and includes a drink) which is open every day.
• Kinki on Wednesdays (where a lot of Spanish people go). In order to enter for free before 12:50pm, you will have to sign up for a card as well as have your ESN one.
• Chalet Margherita is the place to go on Thursdays as well as on Saturdays during the spring and the summer. It is a bar located in the middle of a small island in a park. Of course there is drinking outside and the club is very fun. The music is not so much to my liking.
• Qubo on Saturdays. Just like for Chalet, you need your Erasmus card. This club is brilliant; very central and with two different rooms which play different music (electronic and reggaeton).

Also any other events which ESN or Erasmusland (the Erasmus organisations) propose.

• Non-Erasmus parties:
• Millenium is good fun (you will have to make yourself another card).
• NUMA is the best club I have been to but it is expensive and far away from the centre.
• L' Arteria
• Kindergarden
• Cassero is a LGBT+ club although straight people also go to it. You will need yet another card to enter and depending on the day you go there, you may have to pay additionally for entrance.
• The Empire, it's more of a pub but still fun for a chilled time and they do karoeke on some nights.
• University parties: Italians occupy the university during the night and they run a bar and install speakers.

Verdi is the best place to drink outside although during the winter it is empty due to the cold. The locals tend to go out more to Santo Stefano or Via del Pratello/San Francesco.

Is it good to eat out in Bologna? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

The typical place they will tell you to go to is Ostreria dell'Orsa but, although you don't eat badly there, the food is not as good as it used to be and there is always a large queue to enter. I recommend cheap places like Studio7, Barimbo, the legendary Pizza Casa or Pizzería Due Torri. If you have a bit more of a budget, try Spaccanapoli or Mercado di Mezzo.

During the night, the most famous is the snacks you can have in Café Zamboni, Lab16, Nearea Lounge Bar (quite cheap) and le Stanze (more expensive). The establishments on Via Caprarie and Via Clavature are good quality but expensive.

For a classic kebab there is a very good and well known place on Via del Pratello (the street where Italians tend to go out on) which is called Babylonia Kebab. There is a 100 Montaditos and a place that does burgers, hot dogs and chips which is called Peterland (right next to Piazza Verdi). El Hamericas is also a great place for food.

If you want to have something cheap, I would recommend Studio7, Café París, on Via del Pratello or Moulin Rouge. Balanzone, Lupulus and Barattolo are even cheaper and a bit shabby.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Bologna is a beautiful city but one which you can see in a day. The most important places are los 7 secretos, Piazza Maggiore (see photo below) the Cathedral, Due Torri, el Archiginnasio, Piazza Santo Stefano with the 7 churches, some of the city's doors and towers, Parco della Montagnola and Giardini Margherita (especially in spring and the summer), Palazzo della Mercanzia, el Ayuntamiento. But in a day or two you can see everything. Also, it's not too far away from cities like Florence, Milan, Verona and Venice. Source

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Bologna in the future?

Although you are on Erasmus, passing at the University of Bologna is not as easy as in other places in the East of Italy. Don't be complacent and even if you don't attend classes, always have someone you know who studies the same subjects as you and who can help you out.

Make the most of your Erasmus experience as it goes by in a flash. Source