Life in Milan and Life on Campus

Students admitted to PhD programs can move in different ways while looking for housing. Here below a few options are described, in or out of campus.

• UNIVERSITY RESIDENCES

Università Bocconi offers students housing rooms in University Residences nearby the campus. All information about the application process is reported in the housing section of the Bocconi website. 

Different housing application options are normally available with in the following chronological order:

(1) application opening for REDUCED RATE housing - late March
(2) application opening for FULL RATE housing - May
Students may only submit one application, for either full rate (1) or reduced rate (2) housing. You cannot apply for both of them.

 

(3) RESIDUAL ASSIGNMENT application - starting from June
ongoing with regular sessions throughout the whole academic year, based on room availabilities

• OTHER RESIDENCES

Students may also write to housing.center@unibocconi.it and ask them for a list of other residences nearby the campus so that you can contact them and check their availabilities.

• APARTMENT HUNTING

If you are interested in finding an apartment by yourself, you can find a list of rooms/apartments available on the notice boards around the Bocconi buildings; also, you can do your search by using  specialized websites (egs. https://www.idealista.it/en/   , https://www.kijiji.it/ , https://www.uniplaces.com/ , etc.) or by contacting a real estate agency.

Shared housing (private room, use of bathroom and kitchen) will cost approximately € 500 per month. A studio apartment will cost approximately € 700-800 per month. Expect to pay three month rent in advance, plus a refundable deposit (on vacating) which can be as much as three-month rent. This deposit is usually held in a bank account and the interest credited. Be careful as to how much notice you are required to give before terminating the contract.

All international students are required to have appropriate insurance.
They have the right to access the Italian National Health Service (SSN), even though it is possible to choose among different options of health insurance.
 

In Italy, the National Health Care System is provided by a public national health care service (SSN –
Servizio Sanitario Nazionale). 
 

In case you are in an emergency situation you can dial 112 to call an ambulance or directly go to the Pronto Soccorso (Emergency room) of the closest hospital.

Registering with the SSN is warmly suggested, because it entitles you to the same treatment as Italian citizens. This includes: choice of a general practitioner, who can visit you free of charge, and who will refer you to specialists (dentists, orthopedics, etc.); admission to public or certified private hospitals free of charge; doctor on duty-continuous assistance service (guardia medica) free of charge; lower fees for tests (blood tests, radiological tests, etc.); medical fees exemption for chronic diseases.
 

EU STUDENTS
 

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles
EU students to benefit of medically necessary health treatments but for a
complete health coverage without paying any subscription fee EU students should obtain the S1 form from the healthcare institution in their home country PRIOR to their arrival in Italy.

If you are living in Milan, you can register with the SSN free of charge visiting one of the ATS “ufficio scelta e revoca” (local health offices) in Milan.
 

To register, take the following documents with you:

• declaration of enrollment in a
  PhD program
• Italian univocal ID number
  ("codice fiscale")
• copy of the passport/ID card
• S1 form (issued by the health
  authority in the EU country where you are entitled to healthcare)

You should also communicate the name of the General Practitioner of your choice.
To find the general practitioner closest to your home, check this link. The officer will also assist you in choosing a local general practitioner in your area from a list.

If you do not have both the European Health Insurance Card and the S1 form, you can purchase a private health insurance of your choice or you can voluntarily register with the SSN upon payment of a subscription fee following
the same procedure as Non-EU students (see below).

NON-EU STUDENTS
Non-EU students must hold a health insurance (or a health insurance payment
receipt) in order to apply for the Permit of Stay. The Permit of Stay will have the same validity in
time of the health insurance and viceversa (the Permit of Stay has a maximum validity of 12 months).

Before leaving your home country, you are strongly recommended to
purchase a private health insurance policy with international validity
certified by the Italian Diplomatic
Representative abroad and translated into Italian or English.

In order to receive complete medical assistance (and benefit from the same services as Italian citizens) you need to apply for health coverage at the SSN.

In order to register with the SSN, go to any post office, fill in a blank payment form with
the following data and pay 149,77 €:
c/c postale n.: 379222 – Intestato to: P.T. Regione Lombardia -
Causale:“iscrizione al
SSN anno…[write the year of coverage e. g. 2024].

Once you have carried out the payment, you can use the payment receipt to apply for the Permit of Stay. After applying for the Permit of Stay, and if you are living in Milan, you can register with the SSN visiting one of the ATS “ufficio scelta e revoca” (local health offices) in Milan. You can access "Scelta e Revoca" offices
by taking an appointment online.

To register, take the following documents with you:

• declaration of enrollment in a
  PhD program
• Permit of Stay application
  receipt
• Italian univocal ID number ("codice
  fiscale")
• copy of your passport
• receipt of the payment for the
  SSN subscription

You should also communicate the name of the General Practitioner of your choice. To find the general
practitioner closest to your home, check this link.The officer will also assist you in
choosing a local general practitioner in your area from a list.

The voluntary registration is valid for 3 months and can be extended by providing the same
documentation (via e-mail) to the Scelta e Revoca office, until obtaining the Permit
of Stay for study.

Once in possession of the actual Permit of Stay, you may send to the Scelta e
Revoca office a scan of the Permit of Stay and the documentation and have it
registered: the deadline for your coverage, then, will be set to 31
December of the current year.

If there is a health assistance agreement
between your country and Italy which entitles you to access the Italian
National Health Service for free, get the agreement documentation from the
Italian Embassy/Consulate and, once in Italy, submit it to the closest ATS office.
 

If you are not insured, you might consider to purchase a private health insurance. At the time being,
the most convenient private health insurance for international students is
provided by W.A.I (Welcome Association Italy).

It costs 120 € for 12 months' assistance and 71 € for 6 months' assistance (from the day of purchase) for
non-EU citizens. EU citizens younger than 40 years old have to pay 202 € for 12
months and 142 € for 6 months. 

It covers emergencies (that means that expenses
are covered only if you are admitted to hospital by ambulance or through the
emergency room), but it also provides a few extra services for 3 times a year
each. 

For detailed information about the policy services, conditions and
payment check carefully the website www.waitaly.net or call +39 06-36.11.676. Please note that for non-EU
citizens the policy will be valid only after applying for the Permit of Stay.

 

ON-CAMPUS MEDICAL CENTER

Bocconi University has set up an on-campus
medical center, a clinic on the mezzanine floor of the Piazza
Sraffa 11 building.

For information, please consult the website.

HEALTH SERVICE

You can find information about Emergency Rooms, Emergency Medical Service and Night Pharmacies on the website.

Several phone companies operate in Italy. The major providers in Italy are: Vodafone, TIM, Wind, 3 and Poste Mobile. You can go to any mobile phone store and ask to see their cell phone/mobile plans (‘abbonamento’). If you sign up for a plan, make sure you find out how much it costs if you cancel it and how many months notice you must give (if any).

The public transportation system in Milan includes:

- subway lines;
- suburban rail link, mostly underground (AKA "Passante");
- about 70 surface lines operated with trams and buses.  

The entire network is operated by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi, more commonly known as ATM.
Their website provides complete information on lines, schedules, fares, etc.:

ATM Italian website

ATM English website

The  subway operates roughly from 6 AM to midnight every day (lines #1, 2, and 3 are operated by bus throughout the night 7 days a week). Trams and buses start about an hour earlier and run until an hour or so later;  #90 and 91 buses operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 'Night bus' lines run on Friday and Saturday nights.

A few tram lines (including #1, which runs through most of the city center and  near the central train station) are still operated with vintage trams built in the 1920's; ten of those vehicles were shipped to the USA and are now in use on San Francisco's 'F' streetcar line: https://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/1811/
A trip on one of those trams is an attraction in and of itself!

Tickets must always be bought before boarding. The standard urban ticket is € 2 and needs to be stamped when boarding.

Also, a public bike sharing service is available: bikeMi

From LINATE Airport   
Taxi: it takes about 20 minutes and it costs approximately € 15.
Public transport: take the bus 73 (direction San Babila), get off at Cinque Giornate, take tram 9 (Direction Porta Genova) and get off at Porta Ludovica. The bus ticket is € 1.50 and may be bought at tobacco shops and newspaper stands inside the airport.

From MALPENSA Airport   
Taxi: it takes about 50 minutes and it costs € 90 (fixed rate).
Malpensa Express (train) + tram:  take the Malpensa Express to Cadorna Railway Station (€ 11), then take subway green line 2 (direction Abbiategrasso Chiesa Rossa or Assago Milanofiori forum), get off at Porta Genova and take tram 9 (direction Centrale FS) to Via Bocconi.
Malpensa Shuttle (bus) + subway: the Malpensa Shuttle normally takes less than one hour to reach Stazione Centrale (Central Railway Station), from Malpensa airport. It runs every 20 minutes and the price of the ticket is € 7.50. From Stazione Centrale take subway line 3 (Direction San Donato), get off at Porta Romana, take tram 9 (Direction Porta Genova) and get off at Porta Ludovica.

From ORIO AL SERIO International Airport (BERGAMO)
More information on the Orio al Serio website.

From STAZIONE CENTRALE FS (Central Railway Station)
Taxi: it takes about 20 minutes and it costs approximately € 17.
Public transport: take subway line 3 (Direction San Donato), get off at Porta Romana, take tram 9 (Direction Porta Genova) and get off at Porta Ludovica.
From CADORNA and GARIBALDI RAILWAY STATIONS
Subway line 2 (direction Abbiategrasso), get off at stop ‘Porta Genova’ and take tram/bus 9 to stop ‘Porta Ludovica’.

By CAR
From the Tangenziale Ovest (Western Ring road) exit A7 Milano-Genova/Viale Liguria going toward Milan city centre. Turn right at Piazza Belfanti, continue on Viale Liguria and Viale Tibaldi, turn left on via Castelbarco and right on Via Sarfatti.

Taxi
Taxi service is always available day and night at taxi ranks just outside the exits of the airport and Central Railway Station. Is the fastest way to move around the city as taxis may drive on reserved lanes. It is possible to ask at Bocconi reception to call a taxi or call directly at: +39.024040 or +39.028585.

Public subway (metro), buses and trams
The ticket costs € 1.50 and is valid on the whole Milan urban network for 90 minutes from validation. It is also valid within the rail throughway. Click here for complete information about Public transport in Milan and Lombardy.

PhD student offices are located in the Via Roentgen Building (Grafton Building), while classes usually take place in other campus buildings. See the list of Bocconi classrooms.

PhD students offices, like any office in the Grafton building, can be accessed during opening hours, available here.

Study and reading spaces of the Library may be accessible till midnight and during weekends; please consult the Bocconi Library website for detailed and updated information.

A study room is generally open from 8:00am. to 2:00 am., from Monday to Sunday, in Via Gobbi 1, basement,  entrance door at the left side of the S. Ferdinando church; opening times and closing days are posted at the entrance of the building and can be consulted online here.

The Bocconi Language Center develops and coordinates foreign languages study in Bocconi.

To support learning progress, beside language courses, it offers to the Bocconi community:

• a multimedia language laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art tools for self-study; moreover, qualified staff provides a help service to guide in choosing appropriate materials available for various languages
• a multimedia library with online language courses, textbooks, materials  for international certificates preparation, movies and original language magazines
• a film festival devoted to movies in original language
• commissioned courses designed in accordance with client requirements for students enrolled in Bocconi Master programs, PhD or SDA programs, as well as Università Bocconi faculty and administrative staff.

GRAFTON BUILDING

GUD Milano Bocconi 
Address: Via Roentgen, 1 (Ground floor)


Opening hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00-21:00

Located in the Grafton building, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and happy hour.

VIA SARFATTI 25

Bar Paninoteca Fast Food 


Address: Via Sarfatti, 25 (main building, floor -1)


Opening hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00-19:00 and Saturday 8:00-15:00

Open for breakfast and lunch, is one of the busiest places at Bocconi; it offers pizza, panini (sandwiches), pasta, snacks and more.


Ristorante Bocconi 


Address: Via Sarfatti, 25 (main building, floor -1)


Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 12:30-14.30

Open for lunch and dinner. Reservation required.

PENSIONATO BUILDING

Self-service Cafeteria (Canteen)

Address: Via Bocconi, 12 (Pensionato building, floor -1)

Opening hours: Monday - Saturday, 11:45-14:30 and 19:00 - 20:30

Open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Sundays, holidays (also during the week) and during the closure period, according to the academic calendar.

The cost of a complete meal (first course, second course with side dish, bread and fruit OR drink) is around 8 €. 

Meals are also available at reduced rate to those who possess the economic requirements laid out in the call “ISU Bocconi Application Requirements and Regulations”; the provisional version of the call is published in the ISU Bocconi page each year in June/July, and applications for reduced rate canteen service must be submitted in the period July-September; applications must be submitted every year, since this benefit is subject to economic requirements to be periodically verified. The schedule of this process is subject to changes; please refer to the relevant office for all information. 

Bar Paninoteca Fast Food 


Address: Via Bocconi, 12 (Pensionato, floor -1)


Opening hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00-17:00

Open for breakfast and lunch. Offers sandwiches and fast-food.

Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and during the closure period, according to the academic calendar.



There are also several snack-bars, cafes and restaurants located around the University.