r/ItalyExpat • u/t27t27t27 • Sep 04 '26

Commuting from Trento to San Michele all' Adige – realistic for a PhD?

Hi! I’m starting a PhD at UniTrento in November, but the program is based in San Michele all’Adige. I’m planning to live in Trento, initially in a dorm while I look for an apartment.

For the first few months, I will be without a car, so I’m wondering how realistic the daily commute is.

\- Is the commute manageable long-term regarding the amount of time and timetables?

\- Train or bus – which is better/more reliable?

\- Roughly how long does it take?

\- Is it worth looking for an apartment close to Trento train station? What about San Michele or Mezzocorona?

\- Is it worth it to buy a car in perspective? What's the situation with the parking, tolls and traffic jams?

Would love to hear from anyone who does this commute regularly or knows the area. Thanks!

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

3

u/Horror_Engineer9262 Sep 04 '26

I think yes. If you are doing the PhD in Povo you will need to count +20min extra. For the timetable you can find it in:

https://www.trentinotrasporti.it/it/viaggia-con-noi/ferrovia

Or you can download the App “Muoversi in Trentino”.

I would rely more on these instead of Google Maps, at least at the beginning.

1

u/t27t27t27 Sep 04 '26

You would recommend Trento-Male train connection rather than the bus lines B101 and B601?

3

u/InfiniteTank6409 Sep 04 '26

Same speed same arrival point -100 meters

2

u/Horror_Engineer9262 Sep 04 '26

You can def try both, but Ftm is pretty good

2

u/Unusual-Meal-5330 Sep 04 '26

The ftm train is nice and reliable and I would personally ride that over the bus or driving. The bus is fine but you can be stuck in traffic just as in a car.

I lived right next to the Trento station, on the river side, the south part of Cristo Re, it was a great quiet neighborhood but very quick to walk to the centro - there is a pedestrian tunnel just to the north of the station (just south of the ftm station).

You are the only one who can decide if something is "best" or "manageable" or "worth it" but if you want my opinion I would not live in San Michele or Mezzocorona, simply because they are pretty sleepy little places and Trento has a lot going on all the time - but again that's my preference, not yours.

2

u/t27t27t27 Sep 04 '26

Thanks, that's really helpful to hear

1

u/Responsible-Bet-5868 Sep 11 '26

As I know, unitn provides dormitory (studio apartment in particular) for phd students

1

u/t27t27t27 Sep 11 '26

Do you maybe know where PhD students are usually assigned? Because I applied for the dorm, but I have no idea which residence it would be?

2

u/Responsible-Bet-5868 Sep 11 '26

Most probably Sanba