Trento.

Student life is compact and outdoorsy, centred on the bars of the centro storico and the university's social scene, with weekends often spent in the mountains. Piazza Duomo and the surrounding streets fill for aperitivo, and student associations organise ski trips and hikes. It is smaller and calmer than a big city, but tight-knit.

• Do aperitivo around Piazza Duomo and the old-town bars in the evenings.
• Join university ski and hiking outings to make the most of the Dolomites.
• Ask the Trento group on Studcasa about ESN mountain trips and student nights.

Trento has a high quality of life and prices to match for the north, sitting around the middle of the Italian band. Rents are reasonable for such a desirable, safe city, and student services and canteens help. Ski passes and gear are the extra cost worth budgeting for.

• Use the university canteens (mense) for cheap, filling meals between lectures.
• Share a flat in San Martino or Le Albere to stay mid-band.
• Budget for a season ski pass if you plan to hit the Dolomites regularly.

Students rent across the centro storico, the student-favoured San Martino district and the modern Le Albere quarter, plus outlying areas linked by bus. The university's Opera Universitaria offers halls and housing help. Demand is high, so apply early through official channels and Facebook groups.

• Check the Opera Universitaria housing service and post in the Studcasa Trento group for rooms.
• San Martino is the classic student quarter, close to the centre and nightlife.
• Apply for university accommodation early; places are limited in this small city.

Trento is small and walkable, with Trentino Trasporti buses covering the city and valleys, plus a cable car up to Sardagna and the scenic Trento to Male railway into the ski valleys. Trains on the Brenner line reach Bolzano, Verona and beyond. Cycling is popular and easy on the flat valley floor.

• Buy a Trentino Trasporti student pass covering buses and regional trains.
• Take the Trento to Male railway into the Val di Sole for skiing and hiking.
• Ride the Sardagna cable car up for quick mountain views above the city.

The University of Trento (UniTn) consistently ranks among Italy's best, especially strong in physics, computer science, engineering, cognitive science and economics, with close ties to research centres like FBK. It is highly international, with many English-taught master's programmes and excellent student support for a small city.

• Departments split between the centre and the Povo campus (science and engineering) on the hillside.
• The international office and ESN section are well organised, use them from day one.

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

Trentino's food is alpine and Tyrolean-tinged: canederli (bread dumplings), strangolapreti, polenta, speck, local Trentingrana cheese and apple strudel, washed down with Teroldego wine. The Christmas markets are a highlight, and mountain refuges serve hearty lunches. Meals are cosy and warming, suited to the climate.

• Try canederli and strangolapreti with melted butter in a traditional trattoria.
• Sample speck, Trentingrana and a glass of local Teroldego or Marzemino wine.
• Visit the Christmas markets in Piazza Duomo for mulled wine and strudel.

The centro storico around Piazza Duomo and the castle is the historic core; San Martino, just uphill, is the lively student quarter. Le Albere is the sleek modern district by the MUSE science museum, while Povo up the hill hosts the science campus. Outlying villages are bus-connected and quieter.

• Centro storico: historic and central, near the bars and Piazza Duomo.
• San Martino: the student district, close to nightlife and lectures.
• Le Albere and Povo: modern riverside living and the science campus respectively.

Trento is a gateway to the mountains and the north. The Dolomites' ski and hiking valleys (Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa) are close, Lake Garda about an hour, and Bolzano 40 minutes. Verona is an hour, Venice two, and Innsbruck across the Austrian border around 90 minutes for a different country entirely.

• Ski or hike in the Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa, easily reached by bus or train.
• Spend a summer day at Riva del Garda on Lake Garda's northern tip.
• Cross the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck, Austria, in about 90 minutes.

Trento is all about the outdoors, so invest in decent kit and a ski pass to make the winters worthwhile. It is quiet and orderly, so do not expect big-city nightlife; the social life is mountain trips and cosy bars. English is widely spoken at the international university, but some German and Italian help in the wider region.

• Buy or rent ski gear early and get a Dolomiti Superski or valley season pass.
• Embrace the outdoor social scene, hiking and skiing trips are how people bond.
• Learn a little Italian, and some German, for the wider Trentino-Alto Adige region.