Daily Life

Time Zone

Italy is a part of the Central European Time (CET). Italy also uses Daylight Savings, but in Europe it is often referred to as “Summer Time.” This runs from around March through October and the time would be 7 hours ahead of Central Standard Time. Daylight Savings ends around the end of October. Learn more about Italy's time zone.

Weather

The following are average temperatures, not the extremes. As in the United States, weather patterns can vary frequently. We recommend checking weather websites for Italy before your departure. Between indoor classroom work and outdoor field trips and farm work, dressing in layers is smart and necessary.

The weather in Tuscany is generally mild with differences depending on the geography of each area and the season in which you’re visiting. In summer, the coasts and valleys tend to be much hotter than the hills or mountains, and in the winter the nights tend to be much colder in the hills and mountains than on the coast. Summers in Tuscany are hot (85-90 degrees Fahrenheit average highs in July and August) with little or no rain. Spring (April-May) and Autumn (October-November) are milder and rainier, but still have plenty of days where there is sunshine and warmer temperatures (average highs of 60-75 degrees). Winter is wetter and colder (average highs of 50-55 degrees and lows of 35-40 degrees), but there are still some sunny days, as well.

Money

Most participants find $250-$300 to be sufficient spending money for a ten-day program in Italy. Of course, your personal spending habits dictate how much you should bring. For current information on exchange rates, visit http://www.xe.com.

It is helpful to have some cash in small U.S. dollar bills. Bring new bills, as businesses and banks may refuse to accept bills that are worn, written upon, or torn. CGEE strongly encourages you to use a money belt.

You can bring cash and/or you can access cash at ATMs. If you bring an ATM card, make sure it has the PLUS and/or CIRRUS logos. A Visa or may be used for cash advances at ATM machines. Credit and debit cards are also accepted in many shops and restaurants.

Important: It is a good idea to call your credit card company to let them know that you will be using your card outside of the United States during a set time period. Some people encounter trouble using a credit card abroad because the credit card company assumes that it is a fraudulent charge.

In Italy the official currency is the Euro (€). The Euro is divided into 100 cents (centimes, centesimi), with two decimals after the comma. (Remember that Europeans do not use a period as the decimal marker, but a comma.) So prices are displayed as €10,00 (ten Euros); or 2,14 € (two euros and 14 cents), etc.