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| INFORMAZIONI
UTILI |
Arriving in Florence
* Florence airport, Amerigo Vespucci. The airport is
only a few miles away from downtown Florence. Once you
arrive at the airport you may either take a taxi cab
or bus (leaving from the departure terminal) which will
take you to the main train station in about 20 minutes.
* Florence central train station, Santa Maria Novella.
Florence can be easily reached from all parts of Italy
and Europe by train. The SMN train station is located
downtown and close to the school premises.
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Trains
Fast and comfortable, trains constitute the easiest
way to travel around Italy and Europe. Situated in the
heart of Italy, Florence lays in a strategic geographic
position as a departure point for trains going North
and South. The fastest trains are the Eurostar (ES)
trains and they reach the main cities in Italy. Other
trains are called Intercity (IC) and Eurocity (EC) and
these, together with local trains, cover the routes
within a region or between border regions.
ES: fastest trains that connect the main Italian cities
making only a few stops.
IC: trains that connect the major cities stopping several
times.
EC: trains that connect the main Italian cities with
the major European cities.
Local trains: trains that connect the towns of one same
region, usually stopping at several train stations.
A "Carta Verde" is available at the train station for
20 euros and provides a 20% discount on all types of
tickets for any routes within Italy.
www.trenitalia.com |
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Bus Transportation
Florence is a relatively small city and therefore all
the major points are within walking distance. Florence
has a bus system run by ATAF with bus routes that connect
the city center with the outskirts of the city. The
main bus departure area is the central train station,
Santa Maria Novella (SMN). From SMN, buses leave on
a regular basis to reach the immediate vicinities of
Florence in about 15 minutes when traffic is not too
heavy. |
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Bus Tickets : One bus ticket
costs Euro 1.00 and it is valid for 60 minutes starting
from the moment you stamp it in the special stamping
machine located on the bus. This 60-minute ticket can
be used on more than one bus as long as you do not exceed
the time limit.
If you plan to take the bus every day, we suggest you
purchase a "Biglietto plurigiornaliero" at the ATAF
booth at the central train station or at any "Tabacchi"
store around Florence. This ticket is valid for 25 days
and it costs Euro 22.00. Remember to buy a new one every
month!
www.ataf.net
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| DOCUMENTS
Student Visa
All non-EU students must obtain a student visa. Please
contact the Italian Consulate or Embassy of your jurisdiction
to inquire about the necessary documents you must
present when applying for a student visa.
Permit of Stay
Once in Italy, it is mandatory that all students (EU
and non-EU) apply for the "Permesso di soggiorno"(Permit
of stay) within 8 days of their arrival. Documents
to be submitted to the "Questura" or police station
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- Form to request the permit of stay filled out
with personal information (available at the "questura").
- Copy of passport (for non-EU students)/identity
card (for EU students).
- For non-EU students, copy of student visa and
documents presented to the Italian Consulate/Embassy
in order to obtain the visa*.
- For non-EU students, "marca da bollo" or stamp
for Euro 10.33 bought at any "Tabacchi" shop.
- Ina-Assitalia health insurance.
- 4 identical passport-size pictures.
- Copy of credit card or bank statement stamped
by the Italian Consulate/Embassy.
* Non-EU students must present a letter from the
Italian Consulate or Embassy that issued their student
visa stating that they presented all required information
there. In addition, non-EU students must request to
the Italian Consulate or Embassy that their documents
be returned with a stamp or seal. PLEASE NOTE THAT
WITHOUT THE CONSULATE LETTER AND THE DOCUMENTS STAMPED
OR SEALED BY THE ITALIAN CONSULATE/EMBASSY, IT WILL
BE IMPOSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR YOUR PERMIT OF STAY.
Health Insurance
An health insurance can be purchased upon arrival
in Italy by filling out the appropriate form and paying
for about Euro 40.00 at the post office. It covers
for hospitalization for a period of six months. Students
who are already covered by their own health insurance
plan should also buy the Health Insurance in order
to obtain the permit of stay. |
| MONEY
Euro
Euro is the common currency of the following countries:
Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Germany, Greece,
Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Finland.
If you are not a EU citizen, make sure you arrive
in Italy with some Euro in your pocket since no other
currencies will be accepted.
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Banks
Due to their internal regulations and policy, most banks
will not open accounts to students staying abroad for
short periods of time. For this reason, we highly discourage
students from bringing personal checks or cashier's
checks to any bank because they require a local bank
account for cashing.
We recommend instead that students bring an international
ATM card and/or credit card with them. Traveler's checks
and/or international money orders can be easily changed
into cash.
ATM Cards
You can find ATM's (in Italian they are called
Bancomat) at almost any bank. Most ATM's have
instructions in English, German, Spanish. ATM cards
allow you to withdraw cash from your home bank account.
Before leaving, make sure you inquire with your home
bank that your ATM card can be used at banks throughout
Italy and Europe during your stay abroad.
Credit Cards
Most credit cards allow for cash advance from ATM's
carrying the same card symbol, provided you have a personal
identification number or PIN. If you don't have a PIN,
you can get cash advance at an exchange office or at
a bank. |
| TELEPHONE
Phone calls in Italy, both from home phones and from
cell phones, can be quite expensive. Long-distance
phone calls in particular can amount to very large
bills.
Cellular phones
You can easily buy or rent a cell phone in one of
the numerous places around Florence. Be particularly
careful when choosing your provider in order to receive
an honest deal.
Pre-paid Phone Cards
There are several types of pre-paid phone cards on
sale at "tabacchi" shops and news stands. However,
when using a pay phone you must insert a coin or "scheda
telefonica" (phone card) in order to access the phone
line. At the end of the call the coin or card will
be returned to you. |
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| ENTERTAINMENT
Operas and Concerts
The opera and concert season goes from September to
April. The summer season with ballets and concerts
goes from May to July. All opera and ballet performances
are held at the Teatro Comunale or the Teatro Verdi.
All tickets can be purchased either at the theaters
during open box office hours or at Box Office, located
on Via Alamanni.
While appropriate attire is required to attend the
theater performances, very elegant dressing is reserved
for the premier nights. |
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Movies
There are a few movie theaters in downtown Florence
which show movies in original language on certain fixed
days of the week. All other theaters show movies in
Italian. A complete list of all movie theaters can be
found in local newspapers.
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Eating out
Florence abounds with restaurants that specialize in
Tuscan cuisine, but you can also find restaurants serving
ethnic foods and fusion dishes. A typical restaurant
serving Italian regional food will have a menu to choose
from and also a wine list with mostly Italian and sometimes
French wines. The menu typically lists appetizers (antipasti),
followed by first courses (pasta/risotto/soups), second
courses (meat/poultry/game/fish), side dishes (vegetables)
and desserts. In Italy, service charge is generally
included in the bill and therefore tipping is not mandatory. |
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| NEWS
Watching TV or reading newspapers and magazines is
the best way to improve your Italian and to learn
about Italian culture and current events. Italy has
3 state channels and 4 private channels. The school
cafeteria is provided with a TV set transmitting news
from CNN.
The main Italian newspapers are online:
www.lanazione.it
www.larepubblica.it
www.corrieredellasera.it
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SPORTS
Jogging
The best place to go jogging in Florence is the Cascine
Park, a big park located along the Arno River on the
western side of the city. For safety reasons, avoid
jogging at the Cascine after sunset.
Gyms
You can work out in the numerous gyms spread around
the city by paying for a pass. You are required to bring
one or two pictures and a medical certificate.
Swimming Pools
Pools are located in the outskirts of the city and therefore
they can be reached with a short bus ride. Outdoor pools
are open only during the summer.
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