Mirko Giuggiolini, 19, gets up at 5am for the commute from his parents’ home in Ronciglione to Rome, an almost two-hour journey by bus, train and metro, to make it in time for his 8am lecture at Sapienza University. Then he repeats the journey home after his last lecture, which on some days finishes at 8pm.
“Rome is just as expensive,” said Viki Angelini, a political science student who has been camped outside Sapienza since Monday night. “I pay €500 for a room but for two years did a one-and-a-half hour commute.”Photograph: Angela Giuffrida/The Guardian Valentina Capalbo, who has a motor disability, moved to Rome from Calabria for her degree in cultural heritage, which she completed in March. She now lives in assisted housing, the cost for which comes out of her monthly €800 grant. The 31-year-old can stay in the accommodation until she finds a job. “Then I’m left to fend for myself,” she said. “It’s impossible to find a place in Rome adapted for people with disabilities.
She said the average rent for a decent apartment in Cagliari is €600-€700 a month. Even with a job, young Italians struggle to find a home as it’s impossible to rent or obtain a mortgage without a permanent employment contract.Photograph: Guido Calamosca/LaPresse/ShutterstockThousands of young Italians leave the country each year in search of work overseas.