Bolognina

Rents among the highest in Italy after Milan, driven by student and worker demand; single rooms are expensive and contested. Transport, groceries and dining at northern averages, with a popular cuisine still affordable. Cheaper districts beyond the station and in bus-served outskirts.

ACER public housing undergoing change, with flats being rebuilt on via Albani and the courtyards of via Fioravanti being renovated; empty ground-floor units; new homes planned on the former fruit and vegetable market site and offices on the former Officine Casaralta. The high-speed rail station is close at hand.

Piazza dell'Unità as the historic shopping centre, the via Albani market, local shops increasingly run by newer residents; the intercultural Casa di Khaoula library in the former stables of the Arcoveggio racecourse, with Italian courses for foreigners.

112 is the single emergency number; 113, 115 and 118 remain active. Low violent crime, frequent pickpocketing and tourist scams in big cities. Civil Protection weather and seismic alerts and IT-alert messages on mobile phones.

Rules depend on who is arriving: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (no visa, registration with the Comune after three months), non-EU citizens for stays up to 90 days (Schengen rule, type C visa where required) and for long stays (national type D visa and a residence permit within eight working days of arrival).

Central station close by, with an entrance on via de' Carracci to the high-speed platforms. Two tram lines: the Rossa, being tested, along via Matteotti and via Ferrarese towards the Fiera, and the Verde, under construction, along via Matteotti and via di Corticella. Porta Galliera – Matteotti/Alta Velocità interchange hub with the People Mover and bus station.

The AUSL of Bologna covers 45 municipalities and over 880,000 residents; the city forms the Città di Bologna district, with Case della Comunità in the neighbourhoods. In the city: the Maggiore and Bellaria (AUSL), the Sant'Orsola Polyclinic (university IRCCS, with general, paediatric and obstetric ERs) and the Rizzoli. CAU at the Navile Casa della Comunità, out-of-hours doctor on 051 3131.

One of Italy's most solid urban economies: automatic machinery and precision mechanics, automotive and the Motor Valley, agri-food and cooperatives, the trade fair, ICT and the data hub at the Tecnopolo. Employment rates among the highest in the country and low unemployment; strong demand for technicians and engineers.

The University of Bologna (1088) is a multi-campus institution with its main site in via Zamboni and campuses in Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini; a wide English-taught offering; grants, residences and canteens run by ER.GO. University district between via Zamboni and piazza Verdi, Academy of Fine Arts and Conservatory.

Continental Po-valley climate: cold winters with fog and stagnant air, very hot and humid summers. PM10 exceeds the daily limit more often than in coastal cities; from October to March the regional anti-smog measures of ARPAE and the Region apply.

A country of strong local identities: dialects still spoken at home, cuisines and festivals that differ from region to region. Formality with 'Lei', rigid meal times, slow paper-based bureaucracy. Non-EU citizens with a long-stay permit sign an integration agreement with credits.