Why if you're an English student, you'll come to love studying in Padova

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When I first decided on my year abroad destinations for Italy, there was only one place that stood out to me. Bologna! I knew Bologna was a great location, there was a large student population, and luckily for me, my Italian family live a mere hour and a half away.

When I didn't get the place, I was gutted. Bologna preferred taking on students for the entire year, and as I was to be spending my first semester in France, I had been relegated to the waiting list (which I didn't move past). I got Padova instead. I knew little about Padova, only that it was close to Bologna, and close to Venice. I really didn't know much else, and was slightly disheartened to hear that I'd got it.

From the moment I stepped off the plane, and arrived in Padova by coach, though, I knew I'd struck it lucky. Padova is a great city - it's diverse, rich in culture, gastronomy and sights, as well as being a gold mine in terms of location.

Want to visit Germany? It's less than 6 hours to get there from Padova! Want to get to Venice or Verona in under an hour? Easily done.

Padova is one of the best locations in Italy, especially if you want to get to know all of the regions a bit more. Padova is located in the Veneto region, so places like Vicenza, Verona and Venice are literally down the road.

You can be in Venice in under half an hour, and there's everything to see, from Rialto, San Marco, San Giorgio to the islands of Murano, Burano and Lido. Hell, you can even go to Jesolo, if you want. It's all easily accessible.

Head to Shakespeare's paradise - Verona, where Romeo and Juliet was set, and you can head around the markets, take a trip to Juliet's House and Juliet's Tomb, as well as the huge arena where Adele has performed!

When getting to Venice is quicker than your commute into London!

Vicenza is a beautiful, small town, with a rich culture, cool museums and streets of nice shops, if you fancy a nice, calm day out.

It doesn't stop there either!

Here's a list of places near to Padova

• Cittadella
• Bassano del Grappa
• Stra
• Monselice

All of these have their own, little wonders. Bassano being the home of Grappa, and also a great place to go hiking and walking, as there are huge hills and gorgeous views. Cittadella is down the road and is a walled town. It's fantastic, as you can take a walk around the walls, and see the breathtaking views from every angle. Make sure to treat yourself to a Prosecco icecream from Zanetti, which has won prizes.

Head to Stra to visit Villa Pisani, a wondrous Villa, which has a café/afternoon tea place, maze, gardens that go on for miles, and a museum of the Villa, so you can learn the history of the place. A little further down, you'll find a cool shoe museum, so for you fashionistas, Stra is a great trip.

Where else can I visit from Padova?

As there's Venice Marco Polo, Venice Treviso, Bologna, and Verona's airports nearby, you can literally travel all around Europe, and beyond! There are destinations in the UK, France, Spain, Croatia and more if you want to really get away. Milan isn't too far either (only 2 hours by coach), Rome is do-able (7 hours by coach) and the same goes for places like Florence and the Alto Adige region (easy to get to by train or coach).

You can get megabuses to a lot of locations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, too. Use either Flixbus or Megabus, and you can get to whatever destination you want, for well under 25 euros return, per person.

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The Trevi Fountain, reachable in less than 4 hours by train, or in around 7 by coach. Unreal!

Other reasons to come to Padova?

There's SO much to do. We have restaurants, bars, cafés, delis and thousands more places to eat and drink. You can shop til you drop with the wealth of stores there are. There's lots of cultural sights, most famously, the Scrovegni Chapel, the Basilica di Sant'Antonio.

The people are friendly; many speak English if you're not a confident Italian speaker, and everyone is willing to help others out. There's a huge student population, so you won't get bored.

Events/places to go?

• There's a funfair that comes to town regularly
• Markets (food, clothes, souvenirs, everything! )
• Themed-markets such as the French Market that comes every year
• Festivals around Summer
• Concert venues for gigs
• Theatre
• Cinema
• Planetarium
• Cultural Centre (on Via Altinate)
• Gardens and Parks all over town

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Is it easy to find a place to stay in terms of hotels, hostels, guest houses or actual accommodation?

YES! There are thousands of houses dotted across Padova, and there's a Facebook page dedicated to those searching for a place to live. You can find all the different zones easily, such as Zona Croce, Zona Forcellini and such - and you soon realise what's near to whichever place (some places nearer certain campuses, the hospital, the centre, and the station etc). There are hotels everywhere, from the motorway to the centre of town, and the prices are much more affordable than you would find in Verona and Venice.

What's the weather like?

Well, being an English gal, the weather here is absolutely fantastic. Don't get me wrong, there's often storms and rain, but when Summer comes, the weather is generally great, the sun's out and you can get a great tan, and you don't constantly need an umbrella with you, like you do in London (I feel like it rains 365 days a year back home).

Is it easy to find supermarkets?

For sure. Padova is full of them - from Despar, Eurospar and Interspar to Lidl and Pam, you can find what you need. My main dilemma in France was finding a supermarket that actually had a good range of food (as lame as that sounds) and in Italy, life is so much easier for those who need foods tailored to their dietary needs - if you're a coeliac, lactose-intolerant, diabetic or whatever, Italian supermarkets are there for you - they've got everything you'll need.

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Is it easy to make friends/get to know Italians?

When I first got here, I was a bit apprehensive, as in France, students weren't that willing or up for making friends with English people for one semester. Here, however, everything is different. There's a Spritz Padova group on Facebook dedicated to Italians in Padova who want to learn English, so you could make friends there. If you're studying in Padova, there's a buddy scheme and a Tandem scheme, so you do language-swaps, or just have someone there to explain the system to you (from getting a tax code to finding a place to print off work).

What should you do as a student?

Join the ESN society - they run great events like barbeques and parties, as well as trips to places like Cinqueterre and Pisa, so you'll get to enjoy partying and holidaying it up a little while enjoying the cultural elements.

Good nightclubs for students?

• Factory if you're into partying until 6am, and like a bit of reggaeton and club music.
• Fishmarket if you're into a more alternative, chilled place to go clubbing.
• Chiosco, once it hits summer, you'll want to be clubbing outside and feeling a bit freer.
• Amsterdam Café although it is a little bit out of town
• LIFE which is renowned by students as being a great night out

Where do the students hang out?

Hanging out seems to be a massive thing in Padova. Once it hits 3pm, it's apparently Spritz time, and every guy and gal will be drinking, or going for a walk throughout the town. Lots of people hang out in Piazza dei Signori, Piazza Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, where there are bars galore, with outdoor seating.

Piazza dei Signori, where you can enjoy a cool spritz under the Orologio.

Navigli is one of the cool, summer places to chill. There are street food stalls, spritz and beer galore, and it's along the river, so you can hang out with your friends all night, watching the world go by, with hundreds of other students.

Restaurant recommendations?

Proper Italian restaurants

• La Lanterna
• Pizzeria al Duomo
• Trattoria da Dante
• Pago Pago
• Rossopomodoro

Sushi Spots

• Sushi San Fermo
• Fan Sushi

Burger Places

• Ham Holy Burger
• Welldone
• Soul Kitchen

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For Quick Bites to Eat

• G Italian Street Food
• Panzerotto (literally street food, around the corner from Piazza dei Signori)
• Grom (for gelato)
• Ciokkolatte (for more gelato)
• 100 Montaditos (little baguettes which are all 1 euro on Wednesdays)

Top Bar/Café spots

• Hendrix Bar
• Café El Pilar
• Coffee Box
• Il Padovano
• Caffè Cavour
• Caffeine

Are there takeaways?

YES! Hallelujah! Just Eat exists in Italy, and most restaurants are open every day until Midnight, even on Sundays so you can get your pizzas delivered on late nights when you can't be bothered to cook.

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Can you find a job in Padova?

Unfortunately, I decided against working whilst here (it interferes with how much student loan you can receive and cash in hand isn't the most legitimate way of earning) but it's not hard to earn here - you can teach English, babysit, work in stores, bars, cafés etc - or even run tours as there are also visitors from across the world such as the UK, Germany and the US.

There's also quite a few English pubs if you find yourself missing home, and fancy a Guinness! Head to St John's on a Monday/Thursday, if you wanna have fun at karaoke!

So, if you're an English student and currently deciding on where to study, I can't recommend Padova enough. Yes, places in Puglia and Calabria, and Sicily have beaches and beautiful views, but in Padova, these places are all easy to get to, Venice has it's own beaches, and there are SO many towns you can visit nearby with the most gorgeous views in the world. Padova is affordable, unlike places like Verona, Rome and Milan, so living costs aren't a lot, and you can really live the life while you're here with the extra cash you'll have. You'll find it easy to improve your Italian with the amount of friendly peeps around, and no matter what, you'll have a fun time, whether you're just going for drinks and dinner in town, going to a nearby town like Ferrara, or travelling abroad.

I'll without a doubt be coming back to Padova after graduation, for holidays, and definitely as a place to stay while travelling around Italy. It's a great destination for ERASMUS students, British Council teaching assistants, or just anyone looking to live the Italian dolce vita.

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Isn't it just beautiful? Why would you not come here?

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