Nicknamed la dotta, la grassa, la rossa (the learned, the fat, the red), Bologna is built around its students. The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, fills the centre with young people, cheap trattorie and proper nightlife, while 62 kilometres of porticoes keep you dry year-round. It is central for train travel and the food is arguably Italy's best.

• You are 40 minutes by high-speed train from Florence and under two hours from Venice.
• The city is compact, flat and made for walking or cycling under its porticoes.

The university quarter around Via Zamboni is the beating heart, packed with bars, cheap eats and students spilling into Piazza Verdi at night. Via del Pratello and the Quadrilatero add more nightlife, while summer moves outdoors to the hills and open-air cinemas. This is one of Italy's liveliest and most affordable scenes.

• Start the night with a spritz and crescentine in Piazza Verdi or along Via del Pratello.
• Grab cheap tigelle and beer in the osterie around Via Zamboni.
• Ask the Bologna group on Studcasa about aperitivo spots and student parties.

Bologna is a proper student city, so cheap eats and shared flats keep costs reasonable for the north, though demand pushes rents up. Most students land in the middle of the Italian band. Eating well is easy on a budget thanks to the osterie, markets and student menus.

• Fill up on tigelle, tagliatelle or a mortadella panino for well under 10 euros in the osterie.
• Share a flat in Bolognina or the outer neighbourhoods to keep rent down.
• Shop the Mercato delle Erbe and the Quadrilatero stalls for cheap fresh food.

Rooms are in high demand near the centre and Via Zamboni, so start early. Popular student areas include the university quarter, the up-and-coming Bolognina north of the station, and Saragozza. Most housing is found through Facebook groups, agencies and word of mouth.

• Search Stanze in affitto Bologna on Facebook and post in the Studcasa Bologna group early, competition is fierce.
• Bolognina offers cheaper rents a short walk or bus ride from the centre.
• Beware informal sublets without contracts; insist on a proper lease for your residence permit.

Bologna has no metro but is small and flat enough to cross on foot or by bike, mostly under porticoes. TPER runs the buses, and the Marconi Express monorail links the centre to the airport in seven minutes. Bologna Centrale is one of Italy's biggest rail hubs, making trips effortless.

• Buy a TPER student pass if you live out in Bolognina or beyond.
• Take the Marconi Express from the station to Bologna airport in about seven minutes.
• Use the porticoes to walk everywhere dry, you rarely need an umbrella.

The University of Bologna (UNIBO), the Alma Mater Studiorum, is the western world's oldest university and one of Italy's best, strong across law, medicine, humanities, engineering and economics. It hosts one of Europe's largest Erasmus intakes, with plenty of English-taught programmes and a huge, active international community.

• Faculties are spread across the centre and outer campuses (Cesena, Forli, Rimini), confirm where yours is.
• ESN Bologna is one of the biggest in Italy; its events fill your first weeks fast.

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

This is the birthplace of tagliatelle al ragu (forget spaghetti bolognese), tortellini in brodo, mortadella and lasagne verde. The Quadrilatero's delis and food markets are a daily temptation, and long lunches are sacred. Eat where the students and locals eat, not where the menus have photos.

• Order tagliatelle al ragu and tortellini in brodo at a classic osteria, the real thing, never spag bol.
• Graze the Quadrilatero and Mercato di Mezzo for mortadella, parmigiano and crescentine.
• Try a plate of tigelle and crescentine with cured meats and squacquerone cheese.

The centro storico around Via Zamboni is student central, lively and slightly grubby in the best way. Santo Stefano and Saragozza are prettier and quieter, the Pratello is the nightlife spine, and Bolognina, north of the station, is the cheaper, up-and-coming quarter. Everything is walkable.

• Zona Universitaria (Via Zamboni): loud, central and full of students.
• Bolognina: cheaper, diverse and increasingly hip, just north of the station.
• Santo Stefano: elegant and calmer, near the prettiest piazza in town.

Bologna's rail links make it Italy's best base for weekend trips. Florence is 40 minutes by high-speed train, Modena and Ferrara half an hour, Ravenna's Byzantine mosaics about an hour, and Venice, Milan and even the tiny republic of San Marino are within easy reach. Parma for cheese and ham is an hour away.

• Take the high-speed train to Florence for a day of Renaissance art in under an hour.
• Visit Ravenna for its golden Byzantine mosaics, or Ferrara by bike-friendly regional train.
• Combine Parma and Modena for a food pilgrimage of parmigiano, prosciutto and balsamic.

Sort your accommodation before you arrive, Bologna's housing crunch is real and the best rooms go fast. Get a bike, learn to duck into porticoes when it rains, and pace yourself with the rich food. And never, ever order spaghetti bolognese in front of a local.

• Start your flat search months ahead and be ready to view and decide quickly.
• Buy a second-hand bike, it is the fastest way around the flat centre.
• Validate bus tickets and carry your residence documents when dealing with the university.