International Students
Other useful info
WELCOME TO MILANO!
The historic city of Milan is the capital of Lombardy in the central Po valley, which is Italy's richest, most populated and most economically active region.
Milan has always been forward-looking, and during its 2,000 year-long history, it has been a driving force for great social, economic, cultural and political happenings.
This vitality makes it one of the most attractive cities in Europe!
Milan is also a city of art, with a wealth of monuments, palazzi, churches and museums, not to mention, the Duomo and La Scala, the temple of Opera.
To quote Milanes dialect, "Milan l'è on gran Milan" (Milan is a great city).
Useful links:
Quick information about monuments, places of interest and events, click here
Milano Da Bere, events, click here
Lonely Planet Guide to Milan, click here
Major Italian newspaper, click here
HOW TO GET AROUND MILAN?
Underground system
The metropolitana (MM) has 3 primary lines, red green and yellow. Tickets are purchased either at the underground stations or at tobacco/news shops almost everywhere in town. Tickets cost € 1 each and are valid for 75 minutes for the underground, buses, and trams. If you firs use surface transport and transfer to the underground, you will need to re-stamp your ticket, but you cannot enter twice in the underground with the same ticket even within the 75 minutes.
Bus and Tram
A wide network of buses and trams covers the entire city. It will allow you to access all major downtown attractions within 30 minutes. Buses #50, #58 and #94 stop near the University and take you easily to the city centre.
Student can purchase the monthly transportation pass at 17 Euro.
For more information about the Milan public transportation system consult
www.atm-mi.it
SPORT
CUS Milano: it is very easy for our students to become members of CUS Milano, the sporting body which has been promoting and organising sporting events of all kinds for Milan's university community for more than fifty years: all they need is a photo card and their university matriculation document to gain access to a whole range of benefits and discounts with gyms, sports centres and shops. Card holders also have free access to the Idroscalo Multi-sport Centre, CUS Milano's headquarters, where they run courses in all kinds of activities including canoeing, rowing, tennis, sailing, windsurfing and spinning.
CUS Milano is the perfect place for anyone who loves sport: it offers the chance to participate in the various activity sections and sports clubs either on a recreational or a competitive basis.
And that's not all: CUS Milano also organises tournaments between the various university faculties, and both summer and winter international sports meetings with representatives of foreign universities and campuses.
For information contact:
CUS headquarters - Centro Polisportivo Idroscalo, Via Circonvallazione est, 11 - Segrate
Telephone: 02 7021 141
Fax: 02 75600633
Website:www.cusmilano.it
MONEY MATTERS
You have several options to manage money during your stay at UCSC. You may keep your bank account and use your visa check card at any bancomat around the city. Attention: ATM in Milan does not stand for ATM cash dispenser but Azienda Trasporti Milanesi. If you are on exchange you may collect your cash stipend by presenting yourself at the campus banking office. You may also open a postal bank account and
have your stipend automatically deposited. When withdrawing money from a bancomat be attentive to people around you. We advise you to use bancomats that are inside banks and not those right off the streets. Unless necessary do not use bancomats inside or near stations. For any bank operation you will require the Italian fiscal code.
Accommodation (not including meals)* : From 2700 to 3900 € per semester
Food** : From 750 to 1000 € per semester
Personal expenses: From 200 to 400 € per month
Books: 200 € per semester
Local Transportation 102 € per semester
* According to the area, the kind of room (single or double) and eventual program benefits the cost may vary
** University provides you with a badge which allows students to eat in the cafeteria a full lunch for 3,50 €. The average cost for a sandwich close to campus is 5 €.
To locate a post office look for the yellow and blue PT sign. For mailing cost information consult the Italian Post web site: www.poste.it. You may have heard that the Italian postal service in unreliable, well, it is. If you need to mail sensitive materials we would advise you send them by recommended mail, courier, or through express mail services, such as DHL, UPS or FedEx.
TELEPHONE
The most convenient way to keep in touch with your new Italian friends and family back home is the cell phone. You can purchase an unlocked GSM phone back home and get an Italian SIM card at cell phone providers such as TIM, Vodafone or Wind. Only triband and quadband phones will work in Europe. Check with your home cell phone service provider to find out if your current cell phone, once unlocked, can support a foreign SIM card. Once in Italy, you may look into signing up for a plan or simply get pre-paid/rechargeable service. If you do not have a GSM phone purchased at home you may also buy one at reasonable cost once in Italy. Unlike in the U.S., you may purchase a phone without signing up for any particular service, that is sign a contract.