Bulletin 2

Dear Florence Summer Program Participant: Right about now, you are probably looking forward to what will be a very memorable summer, both academically and personally. Bulletin 2 will answer many of the questions you may have. Also, please visit our website at http://asu.edu/florenceitaly to read Bulletin 1, and to access other resources.

Our third and last meeting will take place on Saturday, April 3rd, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Professor Baldini’s home. However, here is some information you may find useful. It is important that you read this bulletin carefully, and bring it to Florence with you. Do not pack it in your suitcase. Additional copies will not be available on site. ARRIVAL IN ITALY

If you travel on your own and flying into Milan, you will need to take a bus from the Malpensa airport to the main train station in Milan (Stazione Centrale). There is a bus about every half hour and the cost of the ticket is approx. €12 (about $19.00). If you arrive in Rome, you will take a commuter train from the airport to the Stazione Termini station. After you arrive at the train station in either Milan or Rome, check the timetable (orario ferroviario) for the earliest and fastest train to Florence, and then buy a one-way ticket for that train. The timetable shows arrivi (arrivals) and partenze (departures); the binario is the track. Trains leave frequently for Florence (Firenze) from both Milan and Rome. You must know which train you want to take before you buy your one-way ticket. A ticket in first class costs approximately 30% to 40% more than a ticket in second class. Because of this, first class usually is less crowded. Those electing to travel second class, however, will find it perfectly satisfactory. Trains that are particularly fast but cost a little more money include the following: I.C. (Intercity), ES (Euro Star), and Rapidi. You may charge tickets on your Master Card or Visa in larger train stations in Italy, including Rome and Milan. If you have problems reading the schedule or deciding which train to take, go to the Information booth, which is clearly marked and has employees who speak English. Important: before you board the train you need to validate your ticket. At the head of the tracks there is a small brass machine mounted on the wall. Slide the ticket into it and it will be validated.

Once you get off the train in Florence at the main station, Santa Maria Novella (aka Firenze SMN), go to the end of the track, turn left and head straight outside to the taxi stand. It is highly recommended that you take a taxi rather than walking with a suitcase in one hand and a map in the other.

If you arrive in Florence by air, you will need to take a taxi to your destination which will cost you €25-30 (approx. $35-40).

Regardless if you are arriving by air or train, make sure you carry your Florence destination (housing) address with you easily accessible, in your purse or wallet. When standing in line for a taxi or other transportation it is not convenient to have to open your suitcase and try to locate this information.

HOUSING

As you arrive in Florence have the taxi driver take you to: Via Guido Monaco 34, 50144 Firenze. Tell the driver to wait for you, go inside and pick up the key to your apartment..

Housing assignments and instructions will be sent out separately to each student. It is important ASU IN FLORENCE | 29TH YEAR ASU IN FLORENCE |2010 2

that you not trade housing assignments with each other without consulting with Professor Baldini.

Please note that due to Italian anti-terrorism legislature, no guests (non-program members) are allowed on ASU housing premises. This applies to family and friends, as well as any other visitors. Do NOT count on being able to house friends and family traveling through Florence during the summer. Please advise visitors that you will not be able to provide lodging for them on ASU Program premises/housing facilities. Violation of this important rule is grounds for dismissal from the Program.

Please note that all program participants will need to pay an €10 deposit for the key to your housing. This deposit will be refunded in full at the end of the Program, providing the keys are returned.

TELEPHONES AND COMMUNICATIONS Housing facilities are not equipped with telephones. For security reasons, all Program participants are required to rent a cellular phone for the duration of their stay. The rental reservation information has been sent to you and if you have not yet done so please go to: http://www.piccellwireless.com/ASU and reserve your cell phone.

To ensure our students’ safety, the Program has negotiated an advantageous rental rate with a company which has been in the business of renting cellular phones to travelers since 1995, Platform3000. The Program will pay for the set-up fees associated with Participant’s contracts. Students pay only for the calls they make from their cellular phone. The cost of calls are charged directly to the credit card number included on the application form. Please note that incoming calls are unlimited and free. To reserve your cellular phone, please go to http://www.piccellwireless.com/ASU .

Participants will receive their Italian cellular phone and number before departing from the US providing they contact Platform3000 early enough before departure for Italy.

NB! The ASU Summer Program in Florence is not party to, or financially or legally involved in any business transaction between Program participants and Platform3000.1

1 Please note that the Program does not endorse specific local vendors. When we mention local merchants and vendors we do so only as a service to our students. As with any purchase, you are always encouraged to shop around.

To make outgoing calls economically, another option is to buy a phone card (sold at tobacco shops and currency exchange booths) meant specifically for calling the United States. These are usually quite affordable, €5-10 for ca 200 minutes.

E-mail & Computing

There are numerous Internet cafes in Florence which serve international students in particular. Some of the more popular, full-service outfits are Internet Train and Platform 3000. Internet Train cafes are available at Via dell’Oriuolo, 40/r, Borgo San Jacopo, 30/r, Via de’Benci, 36/r, and in other locations. Platform 3000 serves users in Via Ghibellina 178r and other locations.1 Our school is also a wireless environment, so if you bring your laptop you will be able use it to send and receive email.

FACILITIES ORIENTATION TOUR On Sunday, May 16th, we will meet in front of the main entrance of Pitti Palace at 2:00 pm for a walking tour of the area. Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti) is located on the south side of the river and is large enough to be easily located. The tour will last a couple of hours, and its main purpose is to get you better acquainted with the area of the school, to give you some reference points, such as the restaurants, and a security briefing by Italian Police Chief Inspector Michele Caneschi.

DAILY LIFE IN FLORENCE Course Enrollment - Location of the School - Meals

This summer we will be using the classrooms of the Eurocentres Florence, Piazza S.Spirito 9, 50125 Firenze, Italy. Please note that this address is not where you will be housed. The school will be our main base and we will have a small office on the location where you will be able to call for assistance and a bulletin board where announcements will be posted. Starting Monday, May 17th, the class schedule will be as follows:

8:30 - 10:00AM ITA 443/ENG429 (M-Th)

10:30-12:30PM ARS 310 (M-Th)

1:00 PM Lunch (M-Th)

2:00-3:00PM ITA 102 (M-Th)

2:00-3:00PM ITA 202 (M-Th)

3:00-5:00 ITA 101 (M-TH)

3:00-4:00PM ITA 201 (M-Th)

3:00-4:30PM ITA 311 (M-Th) ASU IN FLORENCE | 29TH YEAR ASU IN FLORENCE |2010 3

Once in Florence you will have the first 3 days of class, until Wednesday, May 19th, to drop and add courses.

Lunch will be served Monday – Thursday in four restaurants, GustaPizza, in Via Michelozzo 9r, will serve an excellent pizza and a soft drink; Gusta Osteria a few steps away will give you a main dish, vegetable and a soft drink; around the corner from that one there is Gusta Panino and for one meal coupon they will give you two sandwiches and two soft drinks; the first three are closed on Monday for their weekly day off, but in Piazza S. Spirito Cabiria will give you a first dish, some vegetable side dish and a soft drink, or a main dish. Most of them will accept the meal coupons for lunch or dinner.

PACKING Florence during the summer has a warm (at times hot) and somewhat humid climate. Light clothing is therefore advisable. However, the evenings, especially until the beginning of July, may be a little cool, and a light sweater or light wind-breaker would be useful. Since clothing prices are rather high in Italy, the main wardrobe items should be brought from the U.S. Italian women often wear pants, though long shorts or a skirt may be more comfortable considering the heat. Italians only wear short shorts at the beach, not in the city. A pair of jeans and comfortable walking shoes are also very useful. You might want to bring one dressy outfit, but most of your clothes should be suitable for daily life in Florence and traveling. Both men and women need to wear clothing with shoulder coverage and no shorts or mini-skirts if they plan on visiting churches and other places of worship (Required for ARS 310).

BAGGAGE

The best advice is to travel light. A good rule of thumb is that if you cannot carry it yourself, leave it at home. You are recommended to check only one piece of luggage and bring one carry-on tote bag. A tote bag with a wide shoulder strap is better than a backpack because it is carried more easily and less likely to be stolen. The tote bag will also come in handy for short trips once you are in Italy. Do not bring too much or you will find yourself without room in your suitcase for the return trip! Another suggestion is to bring a small luggage dolly or a suitcase with wheels, both of which are available in most luggage and department stores.

Italian cities have 220 voltage, and therefore if you want to bring any small appliances such as a hair dryer or iron, you will need one which can use both 110 and 220 voltages. Also, you will need an adapter for electrical plugs since in Europe the prongs are round rather than flat. Ace Hardware carries the European plugs.

RECEIVING PACKAGES AND MAIL

Do not have packages sent to you from the United States. Regardless of their contents, they will be held by customs and often subject to an import tariff. No exceptions are made for personal belongings, even if you will take them with you back to the U.S. after the program. Getting customs to release packages addressed to students has in the past proved cumbersome and extremely time-consuming. Customs must be dealt with in Italian, and if you do not express yourself both in speech and writing with considerable fluency, communications will be all the more difficult. The Summer Program does not have staff resources to help you with your communications with customs authorities. In short, do not rely on having personal belongings, clothing, books, medications, etc. mailed to you to you from the United States. In order to avoid loss of property and money, please inform friends and relatives at home about problems related to receiving packages in Italy before you leave. Items not received, or heavily ratified, by students in the past include cameras, clothing, medications, personal documents, etc.

The mailing address where you may receive letter mail while in Florence is:

[name of student]-- ASU

c/o Eurocentres Florence Piazza S.Spirito 9, 50125 Firenze - Italy

HEALTHCARE WHILE IN FLORENCE

Vitamins and Prescription Drugs

It is strongly recommended that you bring enough to last you through the time you will spend in Europe. Vitamins and prescription drugs are expensive, and besides having to obtain a prescription for them, there is also the problem of differences in brand or generic names. Do not count on having refills mailed to you from home - customs will not allow their delivery (see above). You may also want to bring with you a selection of over-the-counter medications such as cold medicine, eye drops, band-aids, and pain killers, as many of them are not sold in Europe or are very expensive.

Medical care Students and faculty who need to consult with an English-speaking doctor while in Florence often turn ASU IN FLORENCE | 29TH YEAR ASU IN FLORENCE |2010 4

to Dr. Stephen Kerr who is a British physician practicing in Florence. Dr. Kerr’s office is located in Piazza Mercato Nuovo 1, Firenze, telephone: 39 055 288055 If you have a permanent medical condition which needs regular monitoring by a physician, you may want to contact Dr. Kerr before departure from the U.S. to consult with him about your requirements.

Web site is available at http://www.dr-kerr.com. 2

2 Individual health care costs are the responsibility of each Program participant. It is strongly recommended that you contact your primary insurance provider before departure to find out what coverage you qualify for while in Italy.

ILLEGAL DRUGS

Penalties are, as in other European countries, more severe than in the U.S. Possession brings three years in prison; “trafficking,” 3 to 8 years. Persons arrested on drug charges are not eligible for bail. Neither the University nor U.S. officials can, or will, intervene. Please be aware that Italy applies habeas corpus with much greater leeway that the U.S. legal system. That means that suspects may be held more or less indefinitely awaiting trial, even if they are innocent of any crime.

EXCURSIONS On Friday, June 4th, we will go to Siena for a tour of the city. On Friday, June 11th, we go on a tour of the agricultural district of Chianti and the Castle of Verrazzano by way of S. Gimignano. Excursions are included in the program fee and are not mandatory, but we urge you to take the opportunity to visit places you may not otherwise be able to get to.

BANKING AND FINANCES

It is recommended for everyone, and particularly for those arriving during the weekend, to bring cash in the local currency with you for your immediate use until you can get to a bank. You can exchange $150 - $200.00 in euros ( € ) at most banks in town. You can also exchange money at the international airport from which you are leaving, be aware that the exchange windows there are often quite busy and you may have to wait in a long line.

Most US-issued ATM cards with a Visa or Master Card logo can be used in Italian ATMs. However, be aware that European ATMs only accept cards with a 4-digit PIN. If you currently have a PIN which is longer than 4 digits, consult with your bank before departing so that your PIN can be changed.

Banks in Italy are open from 8:30 to 1:30 p.m. and from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and they usually provide the best exchange rates.

At the present rate of exchange $1 is worth approximately € 0.75 (3/25/10).

PERSONALXSAFETY The safest way to carry money is in the form of traveler’s checks since they can be replaced if lost or stolen. Do make sure you have enough money with you for the duration of your stay in Europe. Money can be withdrawn from local ATM machines, but there is no guarantee that it will always work, or it can be transferred by bank, but it takes a week to ten days and sometimes more. There may also be bank charges and other fees involved with an international bank transfer of funds.

In order to protect yourself against theft, you are strongly urged to carry your money in a money belt or a small purse kept in an inside pocket. You should never put anything valuable in your back pockets, or in a backpack. In Italy, the summer tourist season is open season for the scippatori (professional pickpockets and thieves), Italian and otherwise. One should be especially vigilant in train stations and airports.

Upon arrival in Florence, all participants are required to attend a security briefing with an officer of the Italian Police (see “Florence Orientation Tour” above).

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION Individual bus tickets valid for multiple rides within 70 minutes cost approx. €1.50. Both types must be purchased at a “tabaccaio” shop (where you can also buy postage stamps and pre-paid phone cards) and need to be validated on the bus.

ABOUT BULLETIN ONE AND TWO

All information presented in Bulletin 1 and 2 is vital to a successful and enjoyable semester in Florence. Participants are responsible for having read and understood the contents of these bulletins, and should bring a printed copy of each with them to Italy for reference. Bulletin 1 is not available in printed form, but comprises all information published on the Program website, http://asu.edu/florenceitaly . ASU IN FLORENCE | 29TH YEAR ASU IN FLORENCE |2010 5

WHAT TO PACK – SUGGESTIONS

1. Clothes (socks, underwear, t-shirts, pants).

2. Passport. Pack in carry-on luggage.

3. Copy of your passport

4. Copies of your flight and transportation itineraries (leave one copy with someone at home).

5. A copy of Bulletin 2. Pack in carry-on luggage.

6. Your housing assignment sheet. Pack in carry-on luggage.

7. Duffle bag/daypack.

8. Comfortable walking shoes (sneakers/tennis shoes are good). Sneakers are expensive in Italy and mostly imported from the US anyway.

9. One or two dressier outfits. Some clubs/restaurants have strict dress codes (no jeans/no sneakers). It's a good idea to bring a nice pair of pants (or skirts/dresses for females) and shoes.

10. Bring a sweater or a light jacket, as it can be cool at night.

11. When going inside the Vatican and all other churches and cathedrals you must cover your shoulders. A shawl for women will suffice. Also, skirts and shorts must fall at or below knee level. Neither men nor women may wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts in church.

12. iPod

13. Camera, batteries.

14. Battery-operated alarm clock (your apartment may not have an alarm clock.)

15. Converter and adapter – Electrical outlets and wattage abroad differs from the U.S. You’ll need these to use any electrical items (for example a hair dryer or iPod charger). You can find these at any travel store. Best is to bring a dual-voltage dryer/flat iron. Laptops and cameras usually have dual voltage built in and need only a converter plug.

16. Cell phone – Rented for use in Italy. Instructions to follow.

17. Passport/money holder – These are a simple way to keep track of these important items. You can also find them at most travel stores.

18. Credit/debit cards. Debit card must have a 4-digit PIN.

19. Cash – Before you depart, go to your bank and exchange some USD ($150-200) into Euros.

20. Medication – Bring enough for the length of the entire trip plus two or three days. Pack all of

these in your carry-on bag in case you get separated from your luggage. You should also bring a copy of your written prescriptions.

21. Sunscreen. Cheaper in the US, but better quality/protection in Europe.

22. Same for makeup, deodorant, shampoo and other personal hygiene products.

23. First-Aid pack (bandages, antibiotic ointment, Tylenol or similar, motion sickness meds (for bus trips).

24. Sunglasses

25. Small flashlight in case of power outage (which will happen). Batteriesfor flashlight.

EMERGENCY CONTACT

While in Florence, in case of an emergency, please call 338-581-6249. This phone is monitored by Program staff at all times for the duration of the Program. Please call this number only in case of an emergency. Non-emergency issues should be addressed during business hours in school. Issues related to housing should be directed to our housing coordinators, Petra or Massimo, at 055 200 1730 during business hours (8:30am – 6:00pm).

If you have any questions or comments about the Program, please contact the Director, Professor Pier R. Baldini, (480) 965-7783, or by e-mail: PBaldini@asu.edu The Program Website, http://asu.edu/florenceitaly, is updated regularly.