WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
UM International Travel Policies
All students and faculty going to Rome must follow all University of Miami International Travel Registration Policies re- garding student travel abroad. Please refer to this checklist prior to travel:
- The University has a partnership with an International Travel management company, International SOS. All faculty and students must register their full itineraries on the following site: https://www.internationalsos.com/MasterPortal/default.aspx?membnum=11BCAS786599
See Intro video: https://vimeo.com/144562058
- Your trip must also be registered on the UM study abroad site.
- Once notified by the University of Miami’s Study Abroad Office that you have a profile created, please visit https://goabroad.miami.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Security.LoginWizardStepOne and click on “Log in with CaneID” where you will be able to log in using your CaneID. Please answer the required materials relating to your profile and trip. The one item in the materials tab, “Intl. Travel - Student International Travel Policy Compliance,” will be checked off after you complete the Intl SOS registration indicated in step 1 by the Study Abroad Office.
- All students and faculty who are US Citizens are required to register their trip individually with the U.S. State De- partment at https://step.state.gov/step/ and non-U.S. citizens should contact the embassy or consulate of their country of citizenship for procedures to register their trip abroad.
Arriving in Rome
Most of you will be arriving in Rome via plane or train. The main airport is the “Leonardo da Vinci”, also known as “Fiumicino” or FCO as it is in the town of Fiumicino located approximately 25 kilometers southwest of the city. After claiming your baggage and going through customs, go to the front of the airport (outside) and take the pedestrian walkway above street level and purchase a train ticket to Rome on the FM-1 train getting off at either Stazione Ostiense (Piramide) or Trastevere. You can also take the Leonardo da Vinci Express train which brings you to Termini Station in the center of Rome. This station allows you to connect with the city’s metro system. Verify your destination in Rome prior to selecting your mode of transport from the airport. It’s a good idea to have a few Euro coins when you arrive for a luggage trolley and a metro pass.
If you choose to take a taxi from the airport to your lodging avoid “Gypsy cabs” soliciting inside the airport. Take your bags to the front of the airport terminal, where you can get a metered yellow cab at the official TAXI stand. Ask how much the fare will be before- hand, and how much he/she will charge you for additional baggage (a ride from the airport to the “centro” shouldn’t cost more than 50 Euros). Plan to pay in cash, not with traveler’s checks.
Upon arriving, if you don’t trust your Italian language skills write the name and address of your destination on a piece of paper and hand it to the taxi driver. Tipping taxi drivers is not required.
In addition, there is a shuttle service that can pick you up at the airport in Rome. You may reserve and pay for the shuttle in advance online. http://www.initaly.com/regions/latium/ciamshutl.htm
Prices for the shuttle vary, depending on the time of transfer as well as the number of passengers in your group. Average price for one person between 6:30 am and 9:00 pm is approximately 29 Euros. See the link above for group pricing packages and after-hours pricing.
Private car and driver (€25+ per person). For LESS money than a taxi, you can have a driver waiting at the exit from Customs at FCO or at your door in Rome. Prices start at €48 for two people. Some popular services include: www.romecabs.com and www.romeshut- tlelimousine.com. Ask per mail for an offer. Private car services usually charge more if there are more than two people in the group, so the service may or may not be cheaper than the train. A private driver is often cheaper than a taxi.
Rome Center
The U-SoA Rome Center is located in the historic center of Rome within minutes’ walk of the Vatican and Piazza San Pietro. The address is University of Miami Rome Center, Via del Falco #1/A, Rome, Italy 00193. (011) 39.06.68802870 (Phone)
The Rome Center is a bring your own device instructional space. Please make sure to bring your laptops. Other facilities-related infor- mation will be presented at the orientation session on the first day of class.
Rome Program Policies
During the course of the semester, while classes are ongoing, students are not to schedule any personal travel unless class participation and/or coursework is not compromised. We recommend that you schedule personal trips before the semester begins or after the semester in Rome ends. You may have a weekend or a few days during the semester during which you may travel if the coursework permits, but the planning of these will likely be impromptu. Due to reasons outside of our control, classes and site visits might have to be resched- uled to take place during a weekend, therefore, it is best to not plan any personal excursion during the course of the semester, unless it can be cancelled. Attendance to all class sessions and field trips is mandatory.
Field tips are mandatory and are an important part of the Rome curriculum. It is mandatory that students and faculty travel together on all field trips. Trip arrangements are made in advance of the semester start date. You are expected to follow the itineraries provided. In the case of an emergency please discuss with the faculty on the ground. Although we do welcome family and friends during our walking tours, we cannot coordinate or purchase transportation services or site entrances for them. If they would like to join the group on a site visit, they are responsible to book and purchase their own tickets. For all out of town field trips, in the event that friends and family would like to join, they must make their own arrangements for lodging and transportation. There is no guarantee that they will be admitted to the sites we visit. If for reasons of medical or personal emergency you do not attend any of the program excursions, you must coordinate the makeup work with the faculty.
Each student will be responsible to purchase their own Rome (local) metro tickets/passes as needed, during the course of the semester. Although most all of the tours in Rome will be done by walking, students sometimes opt to travel by metro or tram to the meeting points.
