Living in Milan
First Impression: Apartment Living in Milan
Oh, Spotahome. Don’t use Spotahome if you don’t have to.
Actually, perhaps this story starts with the Bocconi housing process. After spending a week researching the best dorms and trying to finesse the housing system like I did with Cornell by only listing 3 residences (freshman year at Cornell, I only pref-ed townhouses and residence buildings, and only selected doubles and quads rather than ranking everything in an order-which worked). Mid-December, I learned that I was put on the waitlist for housing and was so far down the list that I wouldn’t get into a hall before the semester began. Pro-tip: have your credit card ready for the 400 euro deposit as soon as the Bocconi housing application opens (if you’re planning on studying abroad there), because I submitted the deposit 23 hours after the app opened and was #80 on the waitlist. Thus, I had to spend a week (finals week at Cornell actually) sacrificing sleep in order to find safe, affordable, and modern housing.
Ultimately, I ended up finding a decent studio that was a 5 minute walk from my Bocconi class buildings.
Here are some things I learned throughout my search process and time living there though:
Many apartment buildings have outdoor courtyards in the middle past the entrance
Very few elevators-i don’t have an elevator
Hot water is extremely limited
Clothing dryer machines are nonexistent
Electricity is sensitive
Homeless people wait right outside of the supermarket to ask you questions
First Impression: Transportation in Milan
Trams, metros, trains, and buses - oh MY. There are so many options and it is incredibly easy to get lost if you do not understand the maps and neighborhoods of Milan.
Google Maps app is a life saver. Download this. Rely on it. Look at the number of tram stops and listen to the tram voice-over.
Drivers will stop, but doors may not always open.
I was alone in Navigli for a solid 20 minutes because of this reason. My friends ran ahead to make it to the Tram before it left, but I was just 30 seconds behind them and was stuck. Don’t be stuck. Make your friends wait. Wear comfortable shoes to run if you need to.
Below is a collage of pictures from my studio apartment living/dining/closet area. + a random picture I took while on a walk in Milan.
