How it goes
Documents. Bring more copies than you think
Passport photocopies of every written page, several passport photographs, your admission letter, attested degree and transcripts, and any medical records worth having. Italian bureaucracy consumes photocopies at a rate that surprises everyone. Also carry digital scans in cloud storage you can reach from a phone.
Medicines, carry the prescription, not just the box
Bring a supply of anything you take regularly along with a doctor's prescription, ideally in English. Many things sold over the counter at home are prescription-only in Italy, and without a family doctor for your first weeks you cannot easily replace them.
Clothes, Padova is colder and wetter than people expect
Winters are damp and grey with fog rather than dramatic cold, and that damp cold gets through clothing that would be fine in a dry winter. A genuinely waterproof coat and proper shoes matter more than heavy sweaters. Do not overpack summer clothes.
Kitchen and spices
Spices are available in Padova but narrower in range and several times the price. Whole spices, a good spice set and anything your family makes specially are worth the luggage.
Your driving licence, with an International Driving Permit
A licence from outside the EU lets you drive in Italy only until a year after you get , and only with an International Driving Permit from the country that issued it, or an official Italian translation. Get the permit before you fly; it is issued at home, not here. After that year you can swap your licence only if your country has a conversion agreement with Italy. The list is short and leaves out many countries, so check whether yours is on it: if not, you would have to take the full Italian test.
Driving on a non-EU licence:Until 1 year after you get residenzaFor the first night, and what can stay at home
Pack a small first-night kit in your hand luggage, because the first room is often temporary and the shops may be shut when you land: a towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, and a pair of light slippers that fold flat, so you are not walking to the bathroom in your shoes. Bedding can stay at home: it is bulky, and cheap to buy here once you know where you will live. Most electronics cost about the same as at home.
What actually goes wrong
Collected from students who hit these. This section is the reason to read the page twice.
Arriving without a way to pay on day one
Your Italian bank account is weeks away and some counters are cash-only. Students who have done it advise arriving with at least €400 in cash: enough for the permit application and the first weeks of food, plus a card that works internationally without punishing fees.
Where this comes from
Reviewed every 365 days. Something changed? Tell us.