Florence.

With around 50,000 students spread across the University of Florence's twelve schools, the city runs a genuinely large student scene even though it rarely feels crowded. DSU Toscana, the regional right to study agency, backs that scene with more than discounted rooms: subsidised meals at ten canteens across the city through the MyDSU app, psychological counselling for residents, and reduced public transport access. Faculty by faculty student associations fill in the rest of the calendar, from humanities societies in the historic centre to engineering and science clubs out at the Santa Marta and Sesto Fiorentino campuses, so ask early which ones your own school runs.

• Register with DSU Toscana's MyDSU app for subsidised meals at ten canteens.
• Ask your faculty about its own student association soon after arriving.
• Use DSU Toscana's counselling service if settling in gets genuinely hard.

A one bedroom apartment on your own runs 900 to 1,900 euros a month in the historic centre, or 650 to 1,150 euros outside it, so most exchange students share instead to bring costs down. Groceries stay reasonable by comparison: a litre of milk costs around 1.66 euros, a loaf of bread 2.30 euros and a dozen eggs 4.10 euros, so a modest weekly shop adds up fast without ever feeling excessive. Public transport is the easy part of the budget, a monthly ATAF pass costs 42.20 euros; the 31 euro rate needs an Italian ISEE income certificate, which exchange students rarely have.

• Share an apartment rather than renting alone, solo rent starts around 900 euros centrally.
• Budget for basics like 2.30 euros for bread and 1.66 euros for milk.
• Budget the full 42.20 euros for a monthly ATAF pass.

DSU Toscana, the regional right to study agency, runs 14 residences inside Florence with just under 1,920 beds, plus more in nearby towns like Sesto Fiorentino and Prato if the city itself is full. Apply through its online Sportello Studente portal as early as your exchange is confirmed, since demand for these subsidised rooms is high relative to supply. If you look privately instead, DSU Toscana also runs its own accommodation search tool covering Florence, Pisa and Siena, a safer starting point than searching cold. Some students also qualify for a rent contribution worth checking before signing a lease.

• Apply through DSU Toscana's Sportello Studente portal as soon as you can.
• Consider a residence in Sesto Fiorentino or Prato if Florence itself is full.
• Check whether you qualify for a DSU Toscana rent contribution before signing.

Florence's own airport connects directly to the centre by the T2 tram line, or by a bus that runs every 30 minutes to and from Santa Maria Novella, the main train station, run by Autolinee Toscane. It handled more than 3.5 million passengers in 2024, second only to Pisa among Tuscan airports, so onward international connections often route through Pisa instead for cheaper fares. Around town, a single ATAF bus ticket costs 2 euros in the city centre zone, a 10 trip carnet works out to 1.82 euros a ride, and a full monthly pass costs 42.20 euros.

• Ride tram line T2 or the half hourly bus to reach the airport quickly.
• Check Pisa airport too, many cheaper international routes fly from there instead.
• Buy a 10 trip ATAF carnet for about 1.82 euros a ride if you skip a pass.

The University of Florence, tracing back to the Studio Fiorentino of 1321 and refounded in 1859, teaches its roughly 50,000 students across twelve schools covering nearly every field from architecture to medicine. Like most Italian universities, the academic year splits into a first semester running from October to February, with January and February reserved mostly for exams rather than lessons, and a second semester from March to July, with exams again taking over from May onward. September works as an additional exam window too, so do not assume the academic year simply ends when spring teaching stops. Check your specific school's calendar, since exact dates shift faculty by faculty.

• Expect January, February, May, June and July to be exam heavy, not teaching heavy.
• Use September as a backup exam window if you need to retake anything.
• Confirm your specific school's calendar, dates vary faculty by faculty.

Si tu es citoyen UE ou EEE, tu n'as besoin de rien à part enregistrer ta résidence si tu restes plus de 90 jours. Les étudiants hors UE ont presque toujours besoin d'un visa étudiant de type D obtenu auprès du consulat italien avant l'arrivée, plus une preuve d'inscription, de ressources et d'assurance santé. Ce qu'il te faut exactement dépend de ta nationalité, donc renseigne-toi tôt auprès de ton consulat.

Une fois en Italie, les étudiants hors UE doivent demander le permesso di soggiorno, le titre de séjour, dans les huit jours suivant l'arrivée, via un kit de la poste et un rendez-vous à la questura (commissariat). C'est lent et ça demande beaucoup de paperasse, donc apporte des photocopies de tout et attends-toi à faire la queue. Le bureau international de ton université te guidera généralement dans les démarches.

• UE/EEE, pas de visa, s'enregistrer si séjour de 90+ jours
• Hors UE, visa étudiant type D auprès de ton consulat
• Après l'arrivée, permesso di soggiorno dans les 8 jours

Florence's signature dish is bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone cut from the sirloin, grilled rare and traditionally served whole for the table to share, a dish official enough to have made Italy's protected traditional food list in 2021. For something cheaper and more everyday, look for a panino col lampredotto, Florence's classic street food sandwich made from slow cooked tripe served in a bread roll with a spoonful of green sauce. Between the two you get a fair snapshot of the city's food culture, formal Tuscan grilling on one end and no nonsense street food on the other, both taken equally seriously by locals.

• Share a bistecca alla fiorentina, grilled rare and cut thick, if the budget allows.
• Try a panino col lampredotto from a street stall for a cheap local classic.
• Expect your steak served rare, that is the traditional Florentine way to grill it.

Most university life plays out in and around the Centro Storico, the historic core with about 67,000 residents that holds the humanities faculties, the Duomo and most day to day errands within walking distance. South of the river, Oltrarno keeps a different pace around Santo Spirito and the Palazzo Pitti, historically an artisan quarter that has drawn more visitors and new residents in recent years without losing its neighbourhood feel entirely. Climb up from Oltrarno and you reach Piazzale Michelangelo, a hilltop square built in 1869 with a bronze copy of David and the best panoramic view of the city, a genuinely free outing worth doing more than once.

• Base yourself in the Centro Storico for the shortest walk to humanities faculties.
• Explore Oltrarno, south of the river, for a quieter, more local pace.
• Walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a free panoramic view of the whole city.

Bologna is the quickest trip out, as fast as 33 minutes by direct train with around 50 departures a day, easily done as a half day out. Pisa takes about 46 minutes at its fastest, with roughly 47 trains a day, ideal for the Leaning Tower and a walk along the Arno. Siena is slower, around 1 hour 21 minutes direct, since only about 15 of the daily 32 trains skip a change, so check before booking. Rome takes 1 hour 16 minutes at its fastest, with about 46 trains a day, well within range for a full weekend.

• Take the 33 minute direct train to Bologna for an easy half day trip.
• Reach Pisa in about 46 minutes for the Leaning Tower and the Arno.
• Check for a direct Siena train, only about 15 of the 32 daily services skip a change.

Apply through DSU Toscana's Sportello Studente portal for both housing and any study grant the moment your exchange is confirmed, since subsidised rooms go quickly relative to demand. Get the MyDSU app early too, a canteen lunch is one of the cheapest hot meals you will find anywhere in the historic centre. Budget the full monthly transport pass price, since the ISEE discount needs Italian income paperwork exchange students rarely have. A common rookie mistake is renting a one bedroom apartment alone in the centre, when sharing cuts the cost dramatically and is how most exchange students actually afford to live here.

• Apply through DSU Toscana's Sportello Studente for housing and grants together.
• Get the MyDSU app early for cheap canteen lunches near the centre.
• Share an apartment rather than renting alone, it is dramatically cheaper.