Nantes, a student-friendly city...

Why Nantes?

Whenever people hear about this for the first time, they often ask me, "why Nantes? " As a matter of fact, it is only famous for the celebrated edict but my choice was dictated by the department of scenography that the school of architecture boasts about, a useless choice in the end because it is only set up after graduation and I am only in the third year of Architecture.

Nevertheless, Nantes turned out to be a very pleasant city, despite me having gone in the winter term. It is an extremely quiet town that lies along the course of the Loire, which lives in contact with the river. Not only that, Nantes is a university city, very young, that has the main student centre in Audencia, in the northern part of the city. My school, ENSAN - École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes, is located in the Quartier de la Création, on the Île de Nantes, the typically French island on the river.

This large island in the middle of the Loire constitutes an area of Nantes that is under great urban transformation. The whole western part is a large construction site of contemporary buildings, some already finished and overlooking a long riverfront promenade with a bar and green that fills up on Friday and Saturday evenings, and also on Sunday afternoons.

Walking along the river, past the School of Architecture, there is the Court of Justice of the architect Jean Nouvel and, above all, Les Machines de l Île, or a series of warehouses that preserve fantastic mobile zoomorphic machines that call to mind the nineteenth-century inventions of the novels of Jules Verne, an illustrious novelist from Nantes to be more precise! You can climb the big elephant, a symbol of Nantes that walks, trumpets and sprays jets of water, or spits fire on the dragon! The spaces around the machines are filled with lawns, bars and are immediately visible from afar, thanks to the Carrousel des Mondes Marins, the carousel of marine machines for all children!

Continuing towards the west, the long river opens onto numerous sheds that stand side by side (Hangar à bananes) and which have all been turned into clubs and bars with rock or funky music nights and where the students meet up on weekends.

In the city there are many other places to spend an evening with friends such as the Quartier du Bouffay, which is between Place de Commerce, the central square of Nantes, and the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, and is an area full of welcoming and picturesque places to drink a blanche (beer) or a glass of wine. Not far away, beyond a road intersection, is the domed Art Déco tower of the old LU Biscuit Factory, biscuits being a leading product in the history of Nantes. The factory has been transformed into a bookstore-museum-bar-club, a meeting place for all students in Nantes, very original and fun as a place that people call "Le Lieu Unique".

Where to live?

I had just arrived in Nantes when I found lodging at the Auberge de Jeunesse La Manu, which is just east of the FNAC station along Boulevard de Stalingrad, which I remember being the first street I learned in Nantes! The Auberge is simply the hostel where I met a lot of people looking for a house like I was. Fortune had it that the ENSAN's very helpful secretary provided me with a small apartment (studio) in the Longchamp student residences, north of the centre of the city but reachable thanks to the Blue Line on the tram. The area is typically residential but in the residences it was like being in a family condominium with all the students who lived there. My Polish neighbor immediately became a friend of mine, given that she was doing architecture like I was. And then right in front of the bus stop there is a fantastic boulangerie (bakery) where it was impossible to not often indulge in all the French desserts on display!

The apartment was complete with kitchen, bathroom, bed, desk and wardrobe, and I had to buy pots, dishes, a hair dryer and sheets. The blanket and pillow were there from the get go, of course. Thanks to Hyper Auchan, at the end of the blue tram line, however, I managed to get everything for about seventy euros!

ENSA, more a home than a school!

The School of Architecture is truly a modern and contemporary jewel designed for everything a student might need. Even though at first glance it may seem a bit cold with its steel and fair-faced concrete structures, the large interior spaces, the classrooms and the library illuminated by continuous glass windows, the ever-changing art installations of the students and the large roof terrace that dominates the Loire make this school a true breeding ground of ideas and architectural experimentation.

Without leaving entertainment out, obviously! There were frequent raids of student Fanfare, an ensemble of student musicians who started improvising for general fun, or surprise parties for those in their first year, or even refreshments at the end of the lesson with professors who are more like friends. The environment was therefore educational but also relaxed and, at times, enjoyable. We would always meet again at lunch in the canteen or in the armchairs of the library to relax a little. In addition to the library on the ground floor there is a huge laboratory space for making models thanks to the carpentry with all the useful tools to for cutting, fixing or sticking, and the Auditorium where very often there were conferences and film screenings organized by teachers or students.

Of course, the way of teaching and learning architecture is very different from what I was used to in Italy; it's very empirical, experimental and artistic, but the French students always showed willingness to put you at ease. Then there was always the Erasmus group, heterogeneous and diverse that always knew how to make you laugh and with which you could exchange doubts or experiences. And if you didn't understand something in your lessons or exams you could always go to Nathalie, the Erasmus manager ready to help you with a smile and a “Bon courage! "

French food

Italian food is the best in the world, but French cuisine also has some surprises up its sleeve. At the supermarket it is easy to find the thousands of French cheeses that could accompany some grapes or some nuts at reasonable prices, or maybe not, but it is worth trying them all together. The boulangeries are the real toy stores, with a thousand delicious and buttery desserts, from pain au chocolat to flans pâtissiers. You absolutely have to try the Gâteau Nantais in Nantes, a sort of rum pie covered with sweet glaze, or the common Breton butter biscuits.

There are also several good restaurants in the centre, both French and otherwise, especially Turkish and Indian. I have been to Le Bouchon, L'Entrecôte, La Taverne and La Cigale, all in the centre and all very, very French, where it is easy to be a little disappointed (perhaps especially for Italians) but also satisfied. For example, in Entrecôte you can enjoy a good amount of steak with green sauce for only 20 euros.

Discovering the city

Nantes is heavily focusing on tourism, and rightly so. There are many things to see in the city. First of all: the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany that crowns the fantastic route of Castles on the Loire, a series of fortresses and royal residences elegantly laid along the whole course of the riverbanks, taking you back to an era of kings and queens because they are very well maintained. Even the Château of Nantes has returned from a meticulous restoration process that brought it back to its ancient splendor.

The internal courtyard, dominated by an elegant double Italian staircase, is open to citizens and tourists as a place for recreation and leisure. Additionally, the castle houses the rich Museum of the History of Nantes and shows temporary exhibitions. But it is from outside that the castle shows its impressiveness, with its mighty bastions and the round stone towers that rise from the waters of a moat, over which is a fascinating drawbridge. The steep, sloping roofs and the gold finishing create a striking character on the Nantine skyline.

But this is dominated by the Tour Bretagne, a skyscraper in the centre of the city (the tram stop has the same name) which offers a fantastic view of the city for 1 euro. And then there is the Museum of Fine Arts, which was under renovation and opened its doors in 2017, and the famous gardens: the Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens) and the Jardin Japonais (Japonese Gardens). They must be real paradises in spring, but they are also places to visit in autumn and winter to admire characteristic plants in the shape of geese, statues, to admire particular flowers or even to drink a cup of tea!

Nantes is above all a river city but doesn't lack a marine soul; with the train at 12 euros in 20 minutes you can reach Saint-Nazaire, where there is one of the tallest and longest-spanning bridges in France, an engineering marvel. If you have a car available to you then you absolutely have go for a drive along the beautiful French coast with picturesque and folkloristic places like Pornic.

Finally, for those interested in Architecture like me, a "pilgrimage" to the Maison Radieuse of Le Corbusier, his second Unitè d’Habitation, where you can also take a guided tour to visit an apartment on Wednesday and Saturday by applying to the Municipality of Rezé. Rezé is the town south of the Loire, easily accessible because they are connected by trams and buses. Also, as it is in fact a part of Nantes, you can also find apartments for rent.

Not least is the Museum of Jules Verne attraction. He was an illustrious citizen of Nantes and the author of famous novels such as "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "The Children of Captain Grant". The museum is a small building perched on Rue de l'Ermitage, a little way away from the city centre but reachable with a nice walk along the Loire and the former shipyards.

Finally, the churches that convey the typical French Gothic are: Sainte Croix, the Cathedral of Peter and Paul and Saint-Nicolas, rebuilt in part after the war but according to the deep French spirit for the respect of the ancient buildings.

Shopping? Of course!

When it comes to shopping, Nantes is not at all deprived of all kinds of shops. The main streets are Rue de la Paix, Rue de Budapest and Rue Crébillon which connects the two most beautiful squares of Nantes: Place Royale and Place Graslin. I was amazed by the large number of shops dedicated to collecting comics, action figures and role-playing games, as well as the numerous chocolate shops. Fortunately, there are very few of the sad tourist shops. You cannot miss the Passage Pommeraye Gallery, a real dive into the "Belle Époque" (Beautiful Era) with various clothing and gift shops.

Finally, by taking the tram towards François Mitterand you can reach the large Atlantis shopping centre in about twenty minutes. Here will be all the major international chains, from IKEA to Decathlon, from H&M to Hollister, and a large multiplex cinema.

Speaking of shows...

For those who are passionate about theatre and entertainment like me, in Nantes you absolutely have to go to the Opera Theatre whose Corinthian colonnade faces Place Graslin right in front of the magnificent art deco restaurant La Cigale. And next to the theatre is a cinema, Le Katorza, where you can watch international niche films in their original language. There is also the Gaumont cinema near the largest and most modern Place du Commerce, where the most popular films are released.

How much does it cost to live in Nantes?

I did not find Nantes particularly expensive compared to Italian standards. Perhaps only transport was slightly dearer to what I am used to. I bought the monthly pass for all TAN transports for 37 euros a month or for those who stay a year, the monthly is worth 200 euros. At school I didn't even pay for a textbook, always using those available from the library, and the materials for making the models that were required of us on our courses were supplied by the school itself! The school also paid for half the costs of the trip to Rotterdam that we third-year students went on in mid-October, a really great experience!

And the people from Nantes?

I have to admit that I left for France with the stereotype of haughty and arrogant Frenchman in my mind... I could not have been more wrong! The city and the school gave me a warm and courteous welcome. You can always find good people on the street, ready to help you and give you directions, and my architecture classmates were happy to meet an Italian Erasmus student. I have always received help from everyone, especially because in the early days I had to get used to using the French language which was not easy. I only used English with the other Erasmus students but there are very few French people who speak and understand it, however they were ready to speak slowly to be understood, which was a relief for me!

The marvellous Paris!

Not forgetting the connection of the high-speed train with the French capital, a city that deserves to be visited countless times. I got there for only 60 euros for New Year's in 2016 but I saw that there are even lower prices if you book in advance. What to say? Paris is just love, it's my favorite European capital and has so much to offer that you never stop learning about its ancient and modern artistic, architectural, but also social and cultural, expressions.

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