Study where you want to work. Get into the best school you can. Focus on the outcomes, not the costs since the difference in costs is tidy compared to the difference in outcomes.

Thanks for your prompt reply Duncan!
Is there any program you would specifically suggest?
I excluded US and UK because of fees, but considering your answer... Those are definitely the places where i'd like to work!

I don't know your goals are, but I suggest you look at http://www.find-mba.com/board/27082/1 and the Value attribute at http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2014 focussing on schools in the top 40 overall.

Cambridge, Insead, Warwick, Oxford, SDA Bocconi, HEC... I would focus there.

Thanks for suggestions.
Ideally I'd like to stay in the financial industry, hopefully at more senior positions.
Given the opportunity cost of quitting my job and paying MBA fees... The salary expectation become crucial.

If you want to stay in the financial industry, start by looking at schools on this list:

http://www.find-mba.com/specializations/12/finance

Of course, location is important: if you want to work on Wall Street, you'll probably want to study in NYC, for example.

Note that you're probably not going to find an MBA program that has great salary expectations in the industry if you're only looking at budget schools, or at schools that are far away from financial centers.

Thanks Ralph, definitely agree.
In terms of financing, any strategy to suggest?
I've seen that most of top tier US programs have an overall budget of 100k.
Ok, some expenses are not sustained upfront... Anyway let's be conservative and keep the 100k as the amount to be financed. Do you think it's feasible to finance it through US banks or should i stay with an italian one? The total or just a portion... Just to have an idea.

In terms of GMAT, should i improve it? Just tried it once, if necessary i'm more than happy to do it properly.

I believe that if you're an international student, and you don't have an American co-signer, you generally can't get student loans from US banks.

In terms of strategies to secure financing, funds in your home country might be available, check with government resources, as well as groups that you are involved in. And the schools themselves will also have resources; ask their financial aid departments to point you in the right direction.

And the rule of thumb for re-taking the GMAT is, if you think you can do substantially better, re-take it, but if you only anticipate a 10 or 20 point boost than it's probably not worth it.

Many thanks.
Just an update... I received a tuition fee waiver for an MBA program.
Ideally this particular waiver is assigned on the basis of exceptional merits (no laughing :) ).

Leaving aside the economics for a sec...
In terms of CV, does it imply any value?
Should I consider it as a major point while selecting the MBA program?

Maybe you should check out Duncan's post on "the sad truths about scholarships"

http://www.find-mba.com/board/37055

As a rule of thumb, it's important to understand that accepting a full waiver comes at a cost: typically it will bring you to a school that's less good than the one you would have had to pay for, so the opportunity cost can be quite high.

The best MBA program you can get into will add the most value to your CV.