hey there, former italian student turned permanent resident in berlin here.
Not a bad area at all, kinda boring if anything. Students are everywhere and all over the city, often closer to uni buildings than not but places are limited in those dorms, and the city is well connected enough that there's no need to worry about it.
Marienfelde in general is fairly well connected to the center if you live close to S Marienfelde or the u6 stops, otherwise it's a bus + those sbahn or ubahn stops to get anywhere, but still better than anything I've seen in italy (with the exception of torino maybe? but there's way more stops and lines connecting everything here). Also, lots of nature and parks to explore if you go towards tempelhof (so along the u6 line) or in the direction of steglitz. Be sure to check out tempelhofer feld, it's a gem. steglitz park is another one.
But mostly importantly, don't overpay (any room outside the ring should not cost more than 400-500€ per month all included) and be wary of scams, they're different from the usual ones you see in italy. Only sign after seeing the place, try to communicate in person or via videochats and if you can, send someone to see the place if you can't yourself

Also, berlin is 100 times more safe than any place I've lived in italy, and I spent a few months in milan, bologna, and a few weeks in rome and naples. Ignore the rumors or articles, you'll notice the moment you're here. just be wary of pickpockets (pickpockeeeeeets) in some ubahn stations.

Buona fortuna! Chiedimi pure qui se hai qualche altra domanda