Discovering Turin's charming atmosphere

Why should I spent my Erasmus semester in Turin?

I spent my Erasmus semster in the amazing Turin and if you are still unsure where to spent your semster abroad, I can definitely recomend the city!

Turinis a beautiful Renaissance metropolis in the Northern Italian region Piemonte. It is surrounded by the Alps which are part of Turin’s spectacular skyline. In the 17th century, Turin became the first capital city of Italy. Since the famous automobile producer “Fiat” placed its headquarter in Turin, the city grew to an important economic and cultural center and Italy’s fourth biggest city.

Thus, it is no surprise that Turin has both great shopping opportunities and a rich cultural offer ranging from world-famous museums over theaters to cinemas, concerts and many other events. Strolling through the city, you will cross ample piazzas, green parks, bars, restaurants and the biggest open-air market of Europe.

In the last decades, a lot has been invested into the life quality of Turin. The city has abandoned its industrial character and developed its hip and vibrant flair, attracting free minds and artists of all kinds. You can enjoy Turin’s night life basically every day of the week due to the vast amount of bars. Especially San Salvario and Santa Giulia are very popular quarters for going out. Resembling Berlin, many abandoned factories full of graffiti have been renovated and transformed into social centers and discos hosting Turin’s typical ‘underground’ scene.

*Via Po, one of the main shopping streets*

*Porta Palazzo, biggest open-air market of Europe*

Where should I live in Turin?

I advise you to start searching on the ground. Back then, I started to search at home in Germany via Facebook groups and other websites (subito.itorbakeca.it)- for one month and without any success. So I just flew to Turin and stayed the first days at the “Residenza Universitaria Olimpia” which is a student dorm next to the Campus. However, they accommodate non-Italian students only for maximum three weeks.

Already on my third day in Turin, I found an apartment in “San Salvario” (coolest quarter in town) that I divided with three other Italian students which is great for diving deeper into the Italian culture and for improving your Italian. It usually makes a better impression if you are available at once and can just drop by for a viewing. Maybe bring a small present like a typical sweet from your home town or home country, that makes you stand out from the enormous crowd of students searching accommodation.

*Architectural heritage of the House of Savoy*

*The mixture of beautiful Renaissance buildings, grafitti and young people doing cool stuff is an integral part of Turin*

What do I need to know about the University?

My home university in Maastricht allowed me to pick courses from many different faculties in Turin. I chose Development Economics and Sociology of Organized Crime at the Campus Luigi Einaudi (you can see its impressive architecture in the picture below). I enjoyed both courses very much and I highly recommend the respective professors Matteo Migheli and Rocco Sciarrone.

It might be helpful to introduce yourself as an exchange student in the beginning of every course that you take. The Campus is a huge and very modern building in the north of the city that combines the faculties of Political Sciences and Law. Please note that depending on the period of your stay, it might be that all courses (including exams) are in Italian.

Apart from that, the Universitá degli Studi di Torino hosts all kinds of other faculties, ranging from medicine, architecture and economics over phylosophy and arts to music and languages. I am sure you will find the courses you are looking for!

*Campus Luigi Einaudi*

What else should I know?

The city itself is incredibly attractive and you would probably need more than one semester to discover everything Turin has to offer. But even if you wanted to see some different places, Turin is the perfect starting point: It is surrounded by metropoles that you should definitely visit, such as Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Pavia, Parma, Pisa, Florence and so on. Plus, you are quite close to the French and Swiss borders, so trips to Lyon or Genf are within your possibilities as well. Generally speaking, the nature in and surrounding Turin is stunning and if you enjoy skiing or snowboarding in the Alps, Turin is the right place for you!

In a nutshell, I can conclude that if you are an open-minded, proactive and communicative person and either speak Italian or are very ambitious to learn it, you will love Turin as much as I do!

Please don't hesitate to contact me for further information or pictures.

Cheers,

Antonia

Turin is full of crazy details. Go discover them!

The stunning Alps. Only 30 minutes away from Turin! Amazing for skiing, snowboarding or simply a hike.