Parma offers a high quality of life: it is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, home to Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, with a handsome centre and the well-regarded University of Parma. It is smaller and calmer than Bologna or Milan but well connected on the main rail line. You get refined northern living, great food and a manageable student scene.

• Bologna and Milan are both roughly an hour away by train.
• The flat, compact centre is easy to cycle and walk.

Student life clusters in the lively Oltretorrente district across the river and the bars around the centre and university. Aperitivo culture is strong, and the Parco Ducale is the go-to green space in warmer months. It is a smaller, friendly scene where you soon recognise faces.

• Head to the Oltretorrente for its bars and more bohemian nightlife.
• Do aperitivo around Piazza Garibaldi and the streets off it.
• Ask the Parma group on Studcasa about student nights and ESN trips.

Parma is prosperous but still cheaper than Milan, sitting around the middle of the Italian band for students. Rents are reasonable for the north, and the food culture means you eat superbly without splashing out. Cycling everywhere and shopping the markets keep costs down.

• A torta fritta with cured meats or a filled piadina makes a cheap, brilliant lunch.
• Share a flat in the Oltretorrente or near the station to stay mid-band.
• Buy Parmigiano, prosciutto and produce from local markets and salumerie, not supermarkets.

Students rent across the centre, the Oltretorrente and areas near the university campus to the south. Rooms are found through Facebook groups, agencies and university services. The city is small, so most places are a short cycle from lectures.

• Search Affitto stanze Parma studenti on Facebook and post in the Studcasa Parma group.
• The Oltretorrente is lively and central; areas near the Campus Universitario suit science students.
• Check heating arrangements, the Po Valley winters are cold and foggy.

Parma is flat and small, so cycling is the default and most students own a bike. TEP runs the city buses, and the station on the Milan to Bologna line makes regional trips quick. You can cross the whole centre on foot in 20 minutes.

• Get a bike, Parma is one of Italy's most cycle-friendly cities.
• Use a TEP student bus pass if you live further out or commute to the campus.
• Fast, frequent trains reach Bologna and Milan in about an hour.

The University of Parma (UNIPR) is a long-established public university strong in food science, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, engineering and the humanities, with a modern science campus south of the centre. It has a solid Erasmus programme, English-taught courses and an active ESN section organising trips and events.

• Science and engineering sit on the Campus Universitario; humanities are more central.
• ESN Parma's trips and dinners are an easy way into the student community.

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

Parma lives and breathes food, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, culatello, tortelli d'erbetta and anolini in brodo are local pride. Long, convivial meals and quality ingredients are the norm, and even a simple torta fritta with salumi is a treat. This is one of the best places in the world to eat.

• Try tortelli d'erbetta and anolini in brodo, the signature Parma pastas.
• Order torta fritta (fried dough) with a board of local prosciutto and culatello.
• Visit a salumeria or the food markets for Parmigiano straight from the source.

The centro storico around Piazza Garibaldi is elegant and walkable; the Oltretorrente, across the river, is the livelier, more bohemian student quarter. The area near the Parco Ducale is green and pleasant, while the southern zones near the campus are practical and quieter. Everything is close together.

• Centro storico: refined, central and walkable.
• Oltretorrente: lively and student-friendly, the nightlife hub.
• Near the Campus and Parco Ducale: greener and calmer, handy for science faculties.

Parma's rail links open up the region. Modena is half an hour, Bologna and Milan about an hour, and the Cinque Terre roughly two hours for a coastal weekend. The wooded Apennines and the castles of the Parma valleys, like Torrechiara, make easy escapes into the countryside.

• Train to Modena for balsamic vinegar and Ferrari, half an hour away.
• Head to the Cinque Terre or the Ligurian coast for a weekend by the sea.
• Explore the castles of the Parma hills, such as Torrechiara, by bus or car.

Parma is understated and quietly well-off, so it rewards blending in and eating well over big nights out. Get a bike, dress for the damp winter fog, and take advantage of the food markets. English is less widespread than in bigger cities, so some Italian helps day to day.

• Buy a bike and a good lock, it is the natural way to get around.
• Shop the salumerie and markets to eat brilliantly on a student budget.
• Learn some Italian for shops and offices, where English is limited.