“I love it here, this building is great, Eindhoven is amazing and very high tech. I have nice roommates and my fellow students are also very friendly. Studying here has been a great experience so far, it's exceeding my expectations,” he says enthusiastically.   

According to Matteo, some things are really different from in his home country. “The colors, I mean more specifically the combination of architecture and nature, the environment, the atmosphere, and the climate, of course. I am used to higher temperatures at home.” Another difference that Matteo finds striking is that Eindhoven looks designed for cyclists. “Everything here is within cycling distance. Stepping out of my apartment in Trento, I would walk for only a few minutes before coming to shops and a supermarket. Things are more clustered over there."

Matteo experienced few problems adjusting to his new environment and he likes living on campus a lot. He shares his apartment with roommates from Russia, India and Spain. “Now and again we cook and have dinner together. In my spare time I like to hang out with my roommates and my other friends - international and Dutch - or play table tennis. But we do have to study hard.”

This prompts Matteo to share his observation that the Dutch have a good balance between work and leisure time. “They know how to enjoy life and they know how to work hard. It looks like the perfect mix to me. They have fewer holidays here than in Italy, but when they do have one, like Carnaval, it’s party time for young and old. I find that really amazing.”

For Matteo, Eindhoven looks like the perfect place to stay, but before he settles down he wants to see more of the world, starting with Sweden, where he will be moving to after his time at summer school in Berlin. “After that I’d love to do a bit more travelling, maybe to China or India, we’ll see. But first I want to have the European experience.”