Erasmus Experience in Rimini, Italy by Sonja

Why did you choose to go to Rimini, Italy?

I had internship in a big company in Rimini (Villa Verucchio).

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

I had a contract with the company for only 4 months because I was doing a Project for in the company in cooperation with my university.

I can't reveal the amount of my salary because I was informed that it is confidential.

What is the student lifestyle like in Rimini?

Rimini has many bars and night clubs, so nightlife is not bad.

The big problem I didn't like is that it is not really a safe city - many burglars and thieves - which made me very scared to go somewhere alone especially during the night.

Another problem I didn't like is transportation (intercity buses) because buses are always late so I can't plan anything exactly at a certain time.

Also, food is really good and tasty but a little bit expensive for students with low income and the rents for flats, in general, are too high.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Rimini to other students?

My recommendation would depend on the person.

For example:

• I would never recommend it to a girl who is coming alone in Rimini.
• Also if somebody is not in a situation to earn money on the side it is very hard to survive.
• For guys and groups of friends is fine.

Source

What is the food like?

Love the food.

There are everywhere these small fast food shops and there you can take a typical Italian food (pizza, piadina, cassoni... ) which they prepare very fast and relatively is not that expensive unless you take it every day. Also, the diversity of the ingredients is incredible, and the combinations they prepare are even better.

Not to forget - Italian pasta - which is very good in every place, cheap or expensive.

One more positive factor is that in every corner you can find small shops with a huge variety of different fruits and vegetables, and they are always really fresh.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Rimini?

I found my flat through booking.com and I can't complain much about it - because I was really lucky.

I didn't have to give a deposit for the flat, just the monthly rent when I arrived there. The rent was 700 euros, but I was sharing a flat with my 2 friends so, in the end, it was good. Our landlord was a nice person and he always showered us some gifts like oranges and some other fruits...

But, of course, even though the flat was not expensive it had some problems coming with it:

• The flat is in not really in the safe area of the city.
• It is not so close to the city center.
• iInternet was horrible, very slow, especially if we all were using it.

How much does it cost to live in Rimini?

The costs depend on many factors:

• Rent
• Groceries you buy every week
• If you visit restaurants
• If you go clubbing
• SIM card credit
• Bus pass

Rent depends on the apartment you find, meaning it is more expensive if it is in the city center, but also if you share an apartment with more people the price can go down for all tenants.

For groceries and food, I would say, around 100 euros per week is enough.

Alcohol - a very important factor for students - is very expensive in bars and night clubs so if you like to have a couple of drinks from time to time I would suggest better to buy alcohol in supermarkets, which is more or less affordable.

SIM Card - I was using WIND, which has a good offers. Every month I would buy a credit of 15 euros and I would have a good internet data (which for me was important) and also my friends were having the same so we could talk for free among us.

If you don't have a car - the main transportation around the city is the bus. I have to say that Rimini has very good transport coverage with the buses, also they are buses during the night and early morning which is a big plus from my side. The only negative side of public transport is that it is never on time.

Since I had to go to work from Monday - Friday, I decided to buy a monthly bus pass, especially because I had to travel every day to Zone 2 which is more expensive.

Price for the monthly bus pass:

• Zone 1 = 28 euros (first month 33 euros because you get a card for validation).

Zone 1 is pretty much all the buses inside the city.

• Zone 2 = 38 euros (first month 43 euros because of the card you recieve)

Zone 2 includes all the buses in Zone 1 plus the rides little bit out of the city, to the small villages around the city.

Also, since San Marino is very close to Rimini - there are buses almost every half an hour to San Marino. It can be a very nice one day trip because it is approximately 30 minutes drive and the ticket is just 5 euros.

So as a conclusin for the monthly costs I would say - approximately around 700 - 800 euros is enough for a nice life, including the tickets, rent, food and SIM card credit.

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

Even though the Italian language is nice and melodic it is not that easy to understand.

I was lucky because I needed only to use English at work since the company is very big. But that didn't stop my colleagues to try to teach me Italian.

I, personally, didn't struggle much because I understand Spanish very good which helped me in understanding. I would like to say thanks to my mother for always watching Spanish telenovelas throughout my childhood.

I didn't take any course, because I was working all the time, so I had no time. But I did use Duolingo application to get at least an introduction to the basics of the Italian language.

In general, not many people in Rimini (and the rest of Italy) can or want to speak English, so my recommendation is always to learn at least the basics before going or to always have 'Google translate' ready.

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

There are many available transportations from Rosenheim (Bavaria, Germany) to Rimini.

I used Flixbus from Munchen to Rimini, which wasn't much expensive - around 30 euros per person, but it takes quite a time to reach, mainly because it's not direct - I had to transfer in Mestre (Italy).

There is always BlaBla car if you can find the route you need.

It is possible to go with the train from Rosenheim to Rimini, but even though it is most comfortable I wouldn't recommend it because it's very expensive - almost 100 euros in one direction.

There is also a possibility to go with plane since the airport in Munich is very big. I never used flight for this destination, but I know that there are flights:

• Munich - Venice (Transavia)

Then from Venice to Rimini - it is easy to take the train which is not too expensive.

• Munich - Ancona (not sure of the company)

Ancona to Rimini - also train is a good solution, it is around a 90-minute ride with the train, around 7 euros is the ticket.

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

What is a student's life without a party?

I, myself, didn't go much to the clubs and bars because I was working from Monday to Friday so I didn't have much free time. But the little I went I could see that drinking in clubs is very expensive, so better have a good preparty at home.

There is one cute bar - Chupitos - it's a shot bar so the shots are pretty cheap (2 euros). I would recommend it.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Rimini?

Hmmmmm... Food...

Le Befane is a shopping mall, and it's nice - not too big and not too small. I loved the choice of food there. I struggled to pick one, so I would say Le Befana is a good choice for a shopping day.

There are many pizza restaurants and I believe there is a good variety of choices. But small fast food shops are the best for me because they have a good mixture of good taste and affordability.

I have to mention coffee - Italians mainly drink espresso (dark and strong). Even though I prefer coffee with milk I have to say that there is no bad coffee in Rimini (probably in the whole of Italy too). One thing I encountered first was Moka. I was so nicely surprised by the easiness and quality of making coffee with Moka.

Bounty is a very cool place - eat, drink, dance, party - all in one place.

American Graffiti Diner Restaurant is very retro American place - typical American food (mainly burgers). It is very affordable and the atmosphere inside the restaurant is very cool and retro.

I also tried an Indian restaurant - Himalaya. It is a little bit more expensive but the food is amazing.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Arc d'Augusto - very beautiful

Ponte di Tiberio - Bridge

And the city center with all the small streets and many Corso's

San Marino is close so it is nice to visit it too.

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

Be aware of the city and don't leave your things everywhere. Don't go alone at night.