The Domus Civica is the most famous dormitory in Venice, even though it is an all-girls residence hall, or perhaps precisely for that reason. Female students enrolled at any of the city's universities can find a single or double room here. It is considered the cleanest and the best maintained of all the dormitories. Besides a sizeable library, a little chapel can also be found on the premises.
The Domus Civica is also famous for its particular L-shaped, round-cornered structure. In fact, looking at its liberty style, for a split second one forgets that he or she is in Venice and imagines being in Prague or Vienna. It was built in the beginning of the 20th century to house workers and pensioners. During World War II, when Germany occupied northern Italy, the building was used as a military logistics center. After the war the Italian government transformed it into a refugee shelter and then finally into a youth hostel, managed by nuns. Gradually it grew into the vibrant, international university dormitory that it is today. If anyone is coming to Venice as an Erasmus student, for the next couple of years he can call this home.