Finding accomodation

Foreign students are not allowed to stay in La Casa dello studente (student residency), although there are exceptions. These places are only allocated through a public competition. Students generally prefer having a student loan in which the rent is deducted monthly for the allocation of a place.
Upon arrival to Italy, the foreign students can visit the Ente Regionale per il diritto allo Studio universitario (Regional organization for the rights of university students) or the Ente Provinciale del Turismo (syndicat of the province), and in each city there are Aziende di Promozione Turistica (APT) or check the internet.
Apartments, especially in the big cities, are very expensive. Many Italians instead choose to share places. To find a shared apartment, one can visit a real estate office, look at advertisments in the newspaper or read the bullentin boards on campus or in the libraries.
As for the youth hostels, they are cheap and open to people of all ages. Contact the Italian organization, Associazione Italiana Alberghi per la Gioventù (AIG) - 44 Via Cavour - 00184 ROMA - Tel.: 06 48 71 152 - Fax: 06 48 80 492. It is free to make a reservation by fax in Florence, Naples, Rome and Venice.
There are also other possibilities for accommodation, such as student associations and religious insitutes.
The website www.studenti.it also places advertisments for accommodation for the students.