Erasmus Experience in Verona, Italy by Marta

Why did you choose to go to Verona, Italy?

I had been before and it seemed like a beautiful city to have my Erasmus experience in.

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

My scholarship was only 3 months, because I'm in my 4th year of physiotherapy and I have practices in hospital, I don't have classes on my Erasmus experience, I only had the choice of 3 months or nothing.

Source

What is the student lifestyle like in Verona?

I'm in a residence and, of course, it has a great atmosphere, there are parties every night, they also organise trips almost every week, but it's better to make a group of friends and travel where you want. There's a lot of Erasmus students from all over the world, but the majority are Spanish.

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

I would recommend the city, it's very pretty, wherever you go there are amazing things. There are lots of street markets, lots of tourists and there's always an atmosphere. I don't know about the university, I haven't had any classes.

Source

What is the food like?

The food is incredible, savoury as well as sweet. And, of course, it's impossible to be on a diet! Everything is delicious and there's a lot of variety, it's not only pizza and pasta (which are all delicious, I have to say). There's so much traditional food that you won't know about until you live here. I think that Spanish food is still better, but Italian food isn't far behind.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Verona?

I found it from Spain, I went for the university residence.

How much does it cost to live in Verona?

Living here, in general, is pretty expensive, going out is expensive, eating out is expensive. There are some well priced supermarkets, but in general, everything is quite expensive.

Source

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

I had a 2/3 week course, I only went for one week because it clashed with my work in the hospital. But I didn't have any problems, I learned more Italian talking to people in the hospital than I would've by going to classes. Italian is very similar to Spanish, it's better and faster to learn it by practicing in real life than going to classes.

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

From Zaragoza, I took a Ryanair flight to Bergamo, from there I took two trains, changing from one to the next, which depending on the train and the time can be more or less expensive, between about €9 to €30. So you should make sure you pay attention to the journey you choose.

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

There are two kinds of nights out there, ones in bars and ones in clubs. The Pubs are always the same and they are where they organise the Erasmus nights, there's the Campus, the Art Café, Corto Maltese, Time Out and they close at 2am. The clubs are all on the outskirts of the city, you need to get a taxi or a bus to get there and they are more expensive at around €15 for entry with a drink. There are places like Alter Ego and Berfis, at any rate, you'll be told all about the nigths out and the venues when you get to Verona.

Source

And to eat in Verona? What were some of your favourite places?

There are fast food places, of course, next to the university there's a piadineria (a flatbread sandwich place) I love going to. A bit further away there's a Romagna piadineria and lots of places that sell pizza by the slice. There are loads of places and although I haven't been to all of them you only have to look at the pizzas to know how good they are. Focaccia, too, the sandwiches there are amazing wherever you get them. There are a lot of kebab places, too! And how could I not talk about the ice cream, my favourite place is the Gelateria Pretto.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There's a lot to see, but the best thing to do is to get lost wandering in the city and you'll always find things to see, restaurants, trattorias and bars.

Source

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

Take advantage of the bars that have an aperitivo, they're bars in which during a specific time of a day (usually from 6pm to 8pm) you can get a drink and get some food from a buffet. You can eat as much as you want of whatever you want, depending on the bar, they'll give you things like little sandwiches, pasta, pizza, breads and sauces, potatoes...

Also, I would recommend you try Fragolin, it's a red wine with strawberry in it that's really good, and lots of other things!