The transition from home to university is generally seen as a positive experience; indeed, it contributes to empowering students’ independence, although it can be traumatic due to the abrupt change. The literature on place attachment, a construct related to the relationship between people and places - including different aspects as behavior, affect and cognition - focuses on the issues caused by relocation [1, 2]. The main objective of this study is to investigate how homesickness relates to place attachment and place identity and well-being in a sample of out-of-town students. Furthermore, it examines how participants modify the environment in order to preserve their well-being and get the best out of this experience, re-create a place attachment to the new setting and make it ‘their own place’. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, investigating the subjective experience of the out-of-town students and their strategies for adapting to their new location. A mixed-methods analysis was performed. The results show that the transition from the home environment to the new one is managed through various strategies aimed at supporting emotion regulation by modifying the physical environment to re-create attachment to the new place.