Milan, Italy – fast-paced, urban, expensive, glamorous and nocturnal
 

Milan is an Italian city with an edge, yes there are still beautiful buildings and gorgeous piazzas, but there is also a real urban feel to the place. It's the Italian capital of fashion, celebrity and glamour (in certain nightspots this is very evident) and so it does make for an expensive city. There is no specific student area so new friends may be scattered across the metro network, although the public transport is both very cheap (a student monthly card is only 17 euros), and very efficient. There are lots of bars and clubs, drinks are strong and restaurants stay open until 2am and clubs until 6am, but there are also lots of fantastic exhibitions, galleries, shops, theatres, and many public free events in Piazza Duomo. Milan’s location is fantastic for day trips. In the summer months, you can go to Lago Maggiore, Como, or the beautiful Cinqueterre on the Ligurian coast; and in the winter, skiing is just three hours away by train. I also visited the nearby cities of Bergamo, Genoa, Mantua, Brescia, Turin and Verona.