Here are some final words of wisdom straight from the mouths of Math in Rome student alumni. Some may be have already been said, but let's just say that it's for emphasis.
- Have an electronic copy of your passport and important phone numbers in your e-mail inbox so that you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Make sure your bank knows beforehand that you're in Europe! (I didn't so I was out of $$$ for like 1 week because they put it on hold).
- Bring euros in advance because the ATM machines in Rome airport might not work (that happened to us).
- Learn some useful Italian phrases before you leave (locals are much nicer when they see that you are making an effort).
- For those who don't know, make sure you put all your liquids that you're taking in your carry on (which should be 3 oz or less) in a zip lock bag, which you will take out of your bag to put in the x-ray machine.
- THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH GELATO ... because you'll miss it once you're in America :(
- Pack light! I think one piece of luggage is fine and just one very light one inside the big one for the Florence trip ( I hurt my back and leg for carrying my own super heavy luggage on my way back that I ended up going to the doctor).
- Eating Fior di Luna gelato is a MUST.
- Bring comfortable walking shoes. I brought "running shoes" and they still made my feet bleed.
- Bring cold medicine (e.g., sudafed and nyquil)! Cough drops are fairly easy to find, but everything else is nearly impossible.
- Bring bug repellent!!!
- In grocery stores you must weigh your produce and get a sticker for its price before paying up front.
- A lot of restaurants/places in general are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
- Explore the piazzas at night. They're great places to get to know more Italians.
- Have a small bag for excursions, including the places within Rome.
- Bring a reusable water bottle (kleen kanteen, sigg...).
- Best gelato = Giolitti's near the pantheon (must get in a cone for maximum fillage).
- Miscellanea is a good/reasonably priced place to eat near the Pantheon.
- Granita Caffe con Panna at Tazza d'Oro (again near the Pantheon, it's the place to be).
- Must have gnocchi at least once on a Thursday.
- Remember to bring a swim suit, sunscreen, and REALLY comfortable shoes.
- Don’t bring a hair dryer or straighter or anything like that. First of all, you need a transformer to use it, and second of all, that doesn’t always work and it still blows up.
- Drink as much pear juice as you can!
- Swimming pools are expensive and hard to find.
- Get skype to communicate with friends from home!
- Don't get too comfortable the last few days of the trip and leave your possessions around/doors unlocked/etc. Just stressing it because it's easy to get comfortable, at least for me.
- Bring nuts. If you eat them for a snack they're really expensive in Rome, and not very good.
- Bring snack bags, they are extremely hard to find in Rome! I used them all the time to bring snacks with me to class or on the excursions.
- Bring a nice sweater/jacket to wear to the opera or whatever the cultural event is, especially if it's outdoors.
- Don't bring anything to wear that you plan on washing that is delicate. Some of my clothes got ruined in the somewhat less-than-excellent washers.
- There are no dryers, so you have to hang dry everything, in which your clothes may come out stiff as a board. I think it might have been from the soap.
- Go to a soccer game at Stadio Olympico! Don't forget to wear an AS Roma shirt!
- Go to Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence to see the whole city. Definitely worth the hike up the hill.
- Coca Cola in Italy is the best.
- Break the ice with all your classmates before the first weekend.
- If your clothes end up smelling like dirty mops, blame it on the washing machine and humid weather.
- Plan a weekend trip to Capri, and rent a boat to tour around the island. It's so beautiful there!
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