Pescara!

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Pescara:

I spent my year abroad in Pescara in 2003. The first thing anyone planning to spend their year there should know is that it is a great city to live in. It is very different in winter to how it is in summer and it helps to know before hand where to go and what to do. I wasted a fair bit of time there solely because I didn’t know. From september onwards the city is quiet and calm but there are a few places open. The main bar at this time is the irish pub – Jayson’s. Everyone seems to start their night there and it’s a good place to meet some italians. University is very disorganised and I found that the italian course for foreigners was very slow, however it was through this course that I met many of my closest friends and the people on the course are all erasmus students so are going through all the same experiences as you. The ‘organisers’ of this course quite often organise nights out too. The same thing goes for the university’s aesic office for foreign students – its not fantastic for organising flats or helping with uni matters but it does set up nights out and can put you in touch with other students in the same position. They will also let you make international calls from their phone if you ask nicely! Nights out are normally in either La Fabbrica, next to the university or Marni, in the old part of the city or Megŕ, near the city centre. These venues are open until late May when it gets too hot to party indoors and the beach clubs open up. I had been warned that the city is very different in winter to what it is in summer but to be honest I never really expected such a drastic change. The whole atmosphere of the city heats up along with the weather. The city itself has a lot to offer even during winter once you work out where things are happening – the people are very friendly, the social life is great and the food is excellent.

Accommodation:

There is one essential piece of info that I wish someone had given to me before going. Whatever you decide to do for accomodation, please DO NOT contact the landlord recommended in the department questionaires. The information given there, and also by the writer of the recommendation has to be dated. I used this accomodation and found it to be extremely unsafe and the landlord chaeted myself and my flatmate out of a lot of money. The people who stayed in one of his other flats the year before me also had bad experiences. The best advice I can give is to go to Pescara and see some flats before you commit to anything. There are a lot of really well priced rooms rented out by italians that are also safe, as they live there all year round and take good care of their homes!

Contact:

If anyone needs advice or would like to be put in touch with people in Pescara who would be willing to show them around and help them find their feet then they can contact me by e-mail 0006777c@students.gla.ac.uk