Bari.

Student life centres on the university district, the bars of Bari Vecchia and the summer beach clubs along the coast. Evenings mean a passeggiata along Corso Vittorio Emanuele and aperitivo in Piazza del Ferrarese or Piazza Mercantile. It is a sociable, unpretentious scene where a spritz costs a few euros.

• Start the evening with drinks in Piazza del Ferrarese, then wander into the alleys of Bari Vecchia.
• In summer, day-trip to the lidi (beach clubs) at Torre a Mare or Cala San Giorgio.
• Ask the Bari group on Studcasa which student nights and beach parties are worth it.

Bari is one of Italy's better-value university cities, rents, coffee and food all cost noticeably less than the north. Most students live comfortably at the lower end of the Italian band, especially sharing a flat away from the seafront. Fresh markets and cheap street food like panzerotti and focaccia keep everyday spending down.

• A panzerotto from Di Cosimo or a slab of focaccia barese costs a euro or two, lunch sorted.
• Sharing a room in Liberta or Murat keeps you near the 750 euro floor of the Italian band.
• Shop the morning market for produce and fish rather than the supermarkets.

Students cluster in the grid-plan Murat district (central and walkable), the more affordable Liberta and San Pasquale, and the leafier Poggiofranco near the university. Bari Vecchia is atmospheric but noisy and pricey. Flats are usually found through agencies, Facebook groups and student notice boards.

• Search Affitti Bari studenti on Facebook and post in the Studcasa Bari group for rooms and flatmates.
• Murat suits you if you want to walk everywhere; Poggiofranco is handy for the main campus.
• Confirm the flat has heating and check for damp, old-town buildings can be cold and humid in winter.

Bari's centre is flat and walkable, so you may not need much transport day to day. AMTAB runs the city buses, and regional trains plus the Ferrotramviaria line connect you to the airport and nearby towns. Bari Centrale is your hub for weekend trips down the coast and inland.

• Buy AMTAB bus tickets at tabacchi kiosks or via the app and validate on board.
• Take the Ferrotramviaria train from the centre to Bari Karol Wojtyla airport in about 15 minutes.
• A bike or your own two feet handles most of the compact centre.

The University of Bari Aldo Moro (Uniba) is a large public university spread across the city, strong in law, medicine, humanities and economics, while the nearby Politecnico di Bari covers engineering and architecture. Both host Erasmus students, with an active ESN (Erasmus Student Network) section running trips and social events.

• Join ESN Bari early, their trips and card discounts are the fastest way to meet people.
• Campus buildings are scattered, so check which district your faculty sits in before choosing a flat.

If you are an EU or EEA citizen you need nothing beyond registering your residence if you stay past 90 days. Non-EU students almost always need a national type D study visa arranged through the Italian consulate before arrival, plus proof of enrolment, funds and health insurance. Exactly what you need depends on your nationality, so check with your consulate early.

Once in Italy, non-EU students must apply for a permesso di soggiorno, the residence permit, within eight days of arrival, using a post office kit and a police questura appointment. It is slow and paperwork-heavy, so bring photocopies of everything and expect queues. Your university's international office will usually walk you through it.

• EU/EEA, no visa; register if staying 90+ days
• Non-EU, type D study visa from your consulate
• After arrival, permesso di soggiorno within 8 days

Puglia eats simply and brilliantly, orecchiette con cime di rapa, focaccia barese, raw seafood and burrata from nearby Andria. In Bari Vecchia you can still watch the nonne (grandmothers) rolling orecchiette by hand on Strada Arco Basso. Meals are unhurried and the coffee is strong.

• Buy fresh orecchiette from the pasta ladies on Strada Arco Basso in the old town.
• Try sgagliozze (fried polenta) and panzerotti as street snacks, and raw ricci (sea urchin) at the port.
• Order a focaccia barese with tomatoes and olives, the local breakfast-to-anytime staple.

Bari Vecchia is the whitewashed old town, packed with churches, washing lines and life; Murat is the elegant 19th-century grid for shopping and cafes. Liberta and San Pasquale are more affordable and student-heavy, while Poggiofranco is quieter and close to the university. The lungomare seafront ties them all together.

• Bari Vecchia: historic and lively, best for atmosphere over quiet.
• Murat: central grid, walkable, with good cafes and shops.
• Poggiofranco: calmer and residential, handy for campus.

Puglia and Basilicata are a weekend playground. Polignano a Mare, with its clifftop old town and turquoise cove, is 30 minutes by train; Alberobello's fairy-tale trulli about an hour and a half; and the cave city of Matera roughly an hour by bus. Lecce and the Salento beaches are a comfortable day trip.

• Take the regional train to Polignano a Mare for cliff-diving views and gelato.
• Bus to Matera to wander the Sassi cave dwellings, a UNESCO stunner.
• Head to Alberobello and Locorotondo in the Valle d'Itria for trulli and whitewashed hill towns.

Bari runs on relationships and a slower rhythm, shops shut for a long lunchtime riposo, and things happen when they happen. Learn a little Italian, as English is patchier than in the north. Keep an eye on your bag in busy old-town lanes, and get used to eating late.

• Plan errands around the afternoon closure (roughly 1 to 5pm) when much of the city naps.
• Carry some cash, small bars, markets and panzerotti stalls may not take cards.
• Validate every bus and regional-train ticket to avoid fines.