Rooms All rooms have air conditioning and private bathrooms with showers. Valuables can be stored in a safe deposit box. All rooms have television. First-time travelers to Italy sometimes find it hard to get used to the cotton towels that are standard in Italian hotels, so if you insist on a terry-cloth towel, you must provide your own. However, the hotel staff will not launder your personal towels. Bed linens are changed twice a week. Also if you plan to go to the beach you will need to bring your own towel from the United States.
About telephones Family or friends who call from the U.S. will first be connected with the attendant at the front desk of the hotel. After asking for the room number, the caller will be transferred to the phone in the student's hotel room.
Often the most economical way to communicate is to call the U.S. from Italy. Very inexpensive calling cards can be purchased in Italy, (180 minutes for 5 euros). We recomend the Europacity card. They can be purchased at tabacchi stores. A tabacchi store is located across the street from our hotel, (and many others are located throughout the city). Also remember the time difference. It is 6 hours earlier in the US. For example, 1 pm in Italy is 7 am in Pennsylvania or 8 pm in Pennsylvania is 2 am in Italy. Be considerate of your hotel family and avoid receiving phone calls very late at night.
Meal Arrangements A full continental breakfast will be served 7 days a week. There are no cooking facilities available. Students may choose to eat at restuarants or they can purchase food, sandwiches at local markets rather cheaply. Last year's students said they spent between $200 and $400 for all of their meals in Italy. Most said they spent closer to $250.
Computers & E-mail Course assignments will not need to be typed. There are commercial computer labs in Italy where students can rent time, so it is advisable to establish an e-mail account in the U.S. prior to leaving for Italy. (There is one computer which allows free internet access at our hotel in Cassino). Although e-mail cost is reasonable, Internet access can become expensive. Information about this will be provided during the on-site, compulsory orientation.
Student room with view of the abbey of Montecassino
Prices in Euro
- Round-trip train ticket to Rome from Cassino: 10.50
- Lunch at a cafe: 6.00-8.00
- Sandwich (panino): 2.00-3.00
- Loaf of bread: 1.50-3.00
- Stick of deodorant: 3.00
- Ticket to a movie: 12.00
- Notebook: 2.00
- Socks:3.00
- men's dress shirt: 30.00-50.00
- men's dress shoes: 50.00-80.00
- 1.5 liter size bottle of water: 1.00
- liter of cola: 2.80
- watermelon: 0.45 per kilogram
- Dinner at a mid-priced restaurant 12.00-20.00
Exchange Rate Italy's currency is the Euro. The smallest note is Euro 5.00. Other denominations in notes are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 euro. Coin denominations are 2.00 and 1.00. Coins worth less than 1 Euro are expressed in centesimi, the equivalent of the U.S. cents and they come in the following amounts: .01, .02, .05, .10, .20, .50.
In August 2008 one Euro was worth 1.47 dollars. For updated exchange rate information, see the currency exchange web site: http://www.xe.net/currency.
When using your credit card, the exchange rate will be calculated automatically, and you will see the cost in U.S. dollars reflected on your statement. To give you some idea of how far your money will go at this exchange rate, below on the left are some examples of how much items cost in Cassino this past summer.
Carrying Money Unfortunately, pickpockets are a reality in Italy. Be especially careful in crowded buses, which allow nimble-fingered thieves, sometimes children, the perfect opportunity to snag wallets from purses, pants, or jacket pockets. Beware of anyone holding out a piece of cardboard or folded newspaper; it's probably a trick. It is not at all rude to hold your private possessions close to you or cross to the other side of the street when passing suspicious looking individuals. All students on the program are advised to bring a money belt for carrying money. A money belt keeps the cash and important documents near your body and out of easy reach of thieves. In addition to money belts, past participants have recommended purses to wear around your neck (and under your shirt) as well.
Here are some other precautions you should take:
1. On a daily basis in Italy, do not carry your passport, flight tickets, or large amounts of cash on your person unless absolutely necessary. Important items can be stored in your room's safe deposit box.
2. Do not carry money and credit cards together.
3. Make photocopies of all important documents and keep them in a separate place. Also leave photocopies with a relative or a friend in the US.
Paying for Expenses There are several ways to carry money and pay for costs while overseas:
1) We recommend that all participants carry a major credit card in their name. Visa and MasterCard are accepted all over Europe. (In some places however, Visa seems the credit card of choice). Even if payment by credit card is not preferred for daily expenditures, a credit card might be important in case of an emergency and/or while traveling, all the more since they are protected and easily replaced if lost. A process for payment of credit card bills should be established before a student's departure from the U.S. Credit cards also offer access to cash via banks or cash machines, although there is a service charge for these transactions and interest payments begin immediately.
2) ATM machines, which give you access to your checking account, can be found throughout Italy and Europe. This is the most popular method of obtaining money while abroad for program participants. By using ATMs, students avoid the risk of carrying large amounts of cash, withdrawing sums of money as needed. Check with your bankcard provider to determine if a transaction fee will be charged, either here or abroad. Your card must be on the International ATM Network, and the PIN for your card must have four digits. Cirrus and Plus are the most popular ATM accounts. The symbols will be on your card, but they should also appear on the machines themselves. Cash dispensers will eat cards they don't consider valid, so match symbols first. Past travelers to Italy found a combination of credit cards and ATMs for handling money convenient. An easy way to access additional money while abroad is to ask someone in the U.S. to deposit money in your bank checking account, thereby allowing you to withdraw additional sums with your ATM card.
3) There are currency exchange booths in the airports in Italy as well.