Rome - Food & Culture (Spring)

You will not need to do an additional application for GustoLab International. However, there will be additional items for you to complete with GustoLab, including information about housing and other pre-departure related items. Please read and respond to emails sent to you by both Illinois Study Abroad and GustoLab International!

Program Dates - Spring 2021

• • tbd

Deadline Dates

• • Illinois Application Deadline: October 1, 2020

  • Decision date: no later than 1 week following the deadline

  • Pre-Commitment Meeting: tba

  • Confirmation of Participation Deadline: 2 weeks after acceptance

  • LAS 291-292 Launch Event: tba

  • Deadline to Complete My Study Abroad requirements: November 30, 2020

Arrival

• GustoLab will pick you up from the airport if you have booked the same flight as the suggested flight itinerary. On the bus to your apartment, you will receive a welcome kit which will contain important contact information, maps of Rome and of supermarkets/grocery stores and banks around your apartment, information about what to see and do in your free time, directions on how to get to the school from your apartment, and the itinerary of your 3-day orientation.

• The housing provider, Your Place In Rome (YPR), will meet you where the bus drops you which will be near your apartment. They will give you your keys, help you settle in your rooms, and give you a brief housing orientation.

Orientation

• Your schedule for the first few days of the program will include: meeting with the Academic Director regarding your courses, meetings with GustoLab International staff, a meeting regarding your residency permit application, a cultural orientation, a safety and security orientation co-led by GustoLab and a representative from the U.S. embassy in Rome, icebreaker activities to help you get acquainted with each other and with the city of Rome, and your first Italian class.

Living in Rome. You will reside in Italian furnished apartments that are self-catered. You will likely live in groups of four or six students but sometimes five or seven if there is an uneven number of male or female students in the program. Most students will have a single bed in a room they will share with one or two other students. The common spaces will usually include a living area, kitchen, and one or two bathrooms.

Housing sizes and types vary and are usually located in different buildings within one or more central residential neighborhoods in Rome that are located at no more than 30 minutes walking distance to the school. There are Italian families, professionals or Italian students who live in the buildings. Students have compared apartments in the past, and we can never guarantee groups will live in similar apartments due to the availability of apartments and the group size we host in the spring. The cost of housing is per bed.

Students will be immersed in daily Roman life. They will have typical resources nearby such as public transportation (busses, trams or the metro system), supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, hospitals, police stations, etc.

What is provided in the apartment?

• Bedsheets, blankets, and pillows are provided in bedrooms

• Towels are provided in bathrooms

• Kitchens are furnished with pots, pans, dishes, and cutlery.

• Washing machines

• Drying racks will be provided as dryers are not widely used in Italy

• Heater for the winter, fans for the summer

• There will not be any microwaves (unless they were left by a previous tenant).

• A WIFI connection. Please note that download speeds may be different from the ones that you may used to.

• Most of the amenities the apartments contain are standard but you should still expect some level of variance

You should expect to bring with you or be responsible for buying toiletries, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, adaptors, hairdryers, hair irons. More information with suggestions about what to pack will be emailed to you a few weeks before your departure for the program.

Upon arrival, you will receive your own set of keys and a housing orientation to learn about the housing policies, emergency responses the housing provider will provide, how to use the amenities at home, how to use the service request system, and how to troubleshoot the electrical and water systems.

During the orientation weekend, you will receive a walking tour near their apartments to get acquainted with the area you will be living in.

Roommates. You will be able to request your roommates, but roommate requests must be mutual. Depending on the number of students, you may be placed in either a double or a triple room. GustoLab will send a housing form for you to submit closer to your departure for the program, and roommates will be confirmed before the start of the program.

Maintenance. You will be able to use a service request system to report issues, make maintenance requests, and ask general questions. These are usually resolved within 2 business days and any maintenance issues that will take longer than 2 business days will be communicated with you by the housing provider, Your Place in Rome.

Cleaning service. Once a week, staff will provide a cleaning service that only include general surfaces, kitchens, bathrooms, floors, including the bedroom floors if students are not sleeping or the bedrooms are not locked. Students will be expected to remove clothes or other items from the floors before the cleaning service arrives. Cleaning services do not include washing dishes, doing laundry or taking out the trash.

Housing policies:

• Overnight guests are not allowed for any reason according to Italian law. All students and their addresses will be registered for a permit of stay with the local police station.

• Quiet hours are from 2pm-4pm and 10pm-8am, according to Italian law. It is important to keep in mind that there are Italian families and professionals who live in the building. Violation of the noise policy may result in removal from the assigned housing.

• Campus policy on alcohol and any drug use is enforced in all residential areas. Drunkenness or alcohol abuse will not be tolerated and may prevent you from entering or remaining in the apartment. Furthermore, it may result in expulsion from the program.

• All apartments are NON-SMOKING, including the balcony. Smoking and the use of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco is prohibited.

• Throwing or hanging objects from windows, removal of screens, or the use of a window as an entrance or exit is not allowed.

• There may be no alterations, additions, and/or unauthorized use of furnishings and fixtures within the residential facility.

• You are not allowed to paint/decorate the apartments.

• You will be expected to respect the recycling schedule and procedures, according to the laws of the city of Rome.

• The collection of empty used alcohol bottles is not allowed.

• You will be fined for: broken windows/doors, lost keys, lost/stolen/destroyed/ruined towels; stained/ripped/marked/damaged/etc. bed covers, broken washing machine door, broken fans, stained/ripped/marked/damaged linens, if locked out and you have to call maintenance for keys on a Saturday or Sunday evening after midnight, disturbing the peace (including excessive noise) and failure to comply to quiet hours (for example: complaints from neighbors and noise at night for parties), damaged walls or adhesives on walls, broken internet router, general damages inflicted during the program (upon evaluation of damages from staff).

Helpful videos about living in Rome:

• Locals Center | Prati in Rome

• Insight | Do as the Romans Do

Course registration instructions

As part of your application, you submitted a questionnaire called "Rome - Credit/Course Options." We will use your response to this questionnaire to register you for the courses you selected. If you need to update your course option, please email your Illinois study abroad advisor BEFORE you commit to the program.

Academic culture and Program structure

The group will usually have classes together for the entire program. There will be exceptions which require smaller groups for some classes and projects. Your classrooms are in one building, but Rome will also be your classroom. Classes are partly lecture-based and partly experiential (around Rome). You will have a learning facilitator that will send you directions or meet you when going to different parts of the city. Most of the time, groups move together from place to place. When students finish the semester in Rome, they realize they always have been part of a close-knit community that they will be in touch with for years to come. We are very happy to facilitate this for you as we have done for other students in the past.

Academic accommodations

Please communicate any academic accommodations that you may need before you depart for the program. Email Dr. Sonia Massari at sonia.massari@gustolab.com as soon as possible.

Transcripts

Transcripts will be sent to Illinois by GustoLab no later than 1 month following the end of the program. Once the transcript is received, processing could take a few months. You can track to see when your transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar by when the digital copy is uploaded into your My Study Abroad documents.

Excursions: You will have a three-day excursion to the south of Italy.

• Coming soon!

When can I book my personal travels?

• No one should make travel plans until after the first week in Rome. Students will be busy the first few days of the program. During the first week, you will have a 3-day orientation, and you will also receive your appointments for the Italian residency permit request at the police station. This is a mandatory appointment, and you must be present as it determines your legal status in Italy.

What does the class schedule look like?

• Classes are Monday through Thursday most of the day, and Fridays are usually free. Spring break dates will be the same as lllinois' spring break dates, and there will be a couple of bank holidays throughout the semester. You will not receive your schedule until you arrive in Rome.

What should I do about a phone while in Rome? Should I get an international data plan?

• You will receive a basic cell phone (not a smartphone) with an Italian sim card as part of your welcome kit. The cell phone will have some credit on it already and will mainly be used to reach you and to make it easy for you to call local Italian numbers for emergency and safety reasons. You will receive instructions on how to use the phone during orientation. It is mandatory for students to have this phone on them at all times for emergency and safety reasons.

• Some students decide on getting a separate Sim card with a data plan for their smartphones once they are here or get an international plan before they arrive in Rome. If you are planning on getting a Sim card with a data plan in Rome, we suggest that you check that your phone is unlocked. The main companies are Vodafone, Tim, Wind and Tre.

• Here are two articles that summarize types of services/plans that are usually available:

  • • Ger Up to Travel: Buying SIM Cards

    • American in Rome: Italy SIM Cards

What if I have food allergies/intolerances or dietetic preferences (vegan, vegetarian, etc)?

• If you have an intolerance or allergy-related to food, or if you are vegetarian or vegan, please let your Illinois study abroad advisor or GustoLab know well before you depart for the program. GustoLab will need this information to make arrangements for your welcome meal and for other planned program-related meals.

• Translated Allergy Cards. If you have an allergy, International Insurance can provide an allergy card. This card is translated into the local language and helps to alert those in country of your allergy. This can help prevent miscommunication.

Before going abroad what else should I consider utilizing my international insurance for?

• Appointments. Find and schedule appointments with medical providers abroad.

• Pre-Existing Conditions. If you have a pre-existing condition and know you will need routine care while abroad, International Insurance can assist in locating and scheduling appointments with those resources.

• Check on Legality of Medications. Not all over-the-counter and prescription medications are legal in all countries. International Insurance can verify the legality of medications in your destination country and recommend alternatives that you and your treating physician can consider.

• Medications in Country. International Insurance can assist in arranging to have prescriptions issued or refilled while in country. If a prescription is required in country (either upon arrival or during the program), the International Insurance provider can locate an appropriate health care provider, schedule a consultation appointment, and issue a guarantee of payment. Prescriptions written and issued in country can be reimbursed.

For more information on using your insurance (including policy number and contact information), visit the Illinois saftey abroad website.