Bergamo.

Life revolves around the bars of Citta Alta, the aperitivo spots of the lower town and student haunts near the university's Sant'Agostino and Dalmine campuses. The scene is smaller and more close-knit than Milan's, so you keep bumping into the same faces. Evenings often start on the walls of the upper town at sunset.

• Watch sunset from the Venetian walls of Citta Alta with a drink from a nearby bar.
• Do aperitivo around Piazza Pontida and Borgo Santa Caterina in the lower town.
• Ask the Bergamo group on Studcasa about ESN nights and ski-bus trips in winter.

Bergamo is noticeably cheaper than Milan while keeping the northern quality of life, rents, aperitivo and transport all cost less. Most students sit in the middle of the Italian band, and living in the lower town rather than the touristy upper one saves money. The airport also cuts your travel costs dramatically.

• A generous aperitivo buffet with your drink for around 8 to 10 euros is the smart cheap dinner.
• Rent in Citta Bassa or Dalmine to stay well under Milan-level prices.
• Fly from Orio al Serio instead of Milan's airports to save on both fares and transfers.

Students mostly live in Citta Bassa (the lower town), around the university in Dalmine, and in the Borgo areas near the centre. Citta Alta is gorgeous but limited, pricey and tourist-heavy. Rooms are found through Facebook groups, agencies and the university housing service.

• Search Affitto stanze Bergamo studenti on Facebook and check the Studcasa Bergamo group for flatmates.
• Living near the Sant'Agostino campus (lower town) or Dalmine keeps commutes short.
• Ask about heating costs, winters here are properly cold.

Bergamo is compact and mostly walkable, with ATB running the buses and the T1 tram out to Albino. A funicular carries you up to Citta Alta, and frequent trains reach Milan and Brescia. The airport is a short bus ride from the centre.

• Use the ATB app or buy tickets at tabacchi; a student pass makes daily bus and funicular use cheap.
• Take the funicolare up to Citta Alta rather than slogging up the hill.
• The ATB airport bus links Orio al Serio to the train station in about 15 minutes.

The University of Bergamo (UniBg) is a mid-sized public university with campuses in the city (humanities, languages, economics, law) and in Dalmine (engineering). It has a strong international and Erasmus programme, with English-taught courses and an active ESN section that organises trips and language exchanges.

• Pick your neighbourhood around your campus, the city and Dalmine sites are a train apart.
• ESN Bergamo runs ski trips and lake outings that are the easiest way to meet people.

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

Bergamo's kitchen is alpine and rich: casoncelli (stuffed pasta with butter and sage), polenta with taleggio, and the creamy stracciatella cheese invented here. The Citta Alta cafe culture and Sunday polenta lunches are part of the rhythm. Portions are hearty and cheese is everywhere.

• Order casoncelli alla bergamasca and polenta e osei (the sweet cake version is a local curiosity).
• Try the local taleggio and Branzi cheeses from a Citta Alta deli.
• Grab a slice of the almond-topped Torta Donizetti, named after the composer born here.

Citta Alta is the walled medieval jewel, stunning but touristy and dear. Citta Bassa around the Sentierone and Piazza Pontida is where most students actually live and drink. Borgo Santa Caterina and Borgo Palazzo are characterful residential streets, while Dalmine is the engineering-campus satellite.

• Citta Alta: historic and beautiful, better to visit than to rent in.
• Citta Bassa: modern, affordable and where student life happens.
• Dalmine: practical if you study engineering, quieter and cheaper.

Bergamo's location is a gift. Lake Como and Lake Iseo are under an hour, Brescia 30 minutes by train, and Milan under an hour for city days. Add the cheap flights from Orio al Serio and the Orobie Alps for skiing, and you can be almost anywhere in northern Italy or Europe in a weekend.

• Train to Brescia or the lakeside town of Sarnico on Lake Iseo for an easy day out.
• Ski or hike in the Orobie Alps and the Val Seriana, reachable by the T1 tram and bus.
• Use BGY for cheap weekend flights to the rest of Europe.

Do not rent in Citta Alta just for the views, the lower town is cheaper, better connected and where friends actually live. Master the aperitivo as your budget dinner, and dress warmly for the alpine winters. Learn to love the airport bus timetable; it is your gateway to cheap travel.

• Base yourself in Citta Bassa and visit the upper town, rather than the other way round.
• Book Ryanair flights from BGY weeks ahead for the lowest fares.
• Get an ATB travel pass if you commute to Dalmine or the airport regularly.