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Updated: 28 February 2008
Practical information
Conference language
The official conference language is English. No simultaneous translation will be available.
Credit cards
All major Credit Cards as well as Euro-cheques are recognized and accepted in most hotels, shops, travel and car rental agencies and restaurants. Stickers in the front windows will advise you as to which cards are acceptable.
Currency / Banking
Currency: Euro.
There are banks on almost every corner in Rome. Normal business hours are 8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday; some of them have longer opening hours on Thursdays. Banks can change cash and travellers’ cheques, with a commission.
Electricity
Electricity in Italy is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC). For comparison, in the United States it is 110 volts, 60 cycle AC current.
For more information, see http://www.summerinitaly.com/planning/electricity.asp.
Emergency
Below are the emergency telephone numbers for Italy. Simply dial these numbers from anywhere in the country.
12 - Telephone Directory Assistance Number
112 - Carabinieri
113 - Emergency Police Help Number (also ambulance and fire)
115 - Fire Department
116 - ACI (Italian Automobile Club) road assistance.
118 - Medical Emergencies
Entry to Italy
Entry visas are not required for citizens of the European Union. However, we would advise you to bring your passports or identity cards with you. If you have any queries, please check regulations with your travel agent or with the Italian Embassy in your country.
Italian food
Roman cooking is generally identified with that of Lazio. It is not excessively sophisticated but is among the most flavoured of Italy.
The most authentic dishes are prepared with simple ingredients: pasta, tripe, chicken giblets, baccalà (salted fish), beans, artichokes, brain, beef tail (‘coda di manzo’) - although there is no lack of richer dishes like lamb, goat’s meat, pork, and various types of seafood.
Among the wines the Castelli Romani whites are outstanding: Frascati, Monteporzio, Marino, Albano, Lanuvio, Genzano, Velletri. Of particular esteem is the Malvasia of Grottaferrata. Among the reds, the Cesanese of Olevano produced in the Castelli region, the Baccanale of Campagnano, Torre Ercolana, Colle Picchioni and Velletri rosso Riserva.
The Jolly Hotel where the first day of the conference takes place is located nearby Fiumicino Airport.
By car
By Car Northbound A1 MOTORWAY:SETTEBAGNI EXIT. Follow the signs for the city center - Via Veneto - Villa Borghese. Southbound A1 MOTORWAY: VIA NOMENTANA EXIT. Follow the signs for the city center - Via Veneto - Villa Borghese Located in the city centre between Via Veneto and Villa Borghese, the hotel has excellent transport connections: the underground station, bus stops and taxi stands are just a few metres away from the hotel.
By train
From Termini Station, you can easily catch a taxi. (5 min. approx).
By airport
Once in Fiumicino Airport take a direct train to Termini Station and a Taxi to Corso Italia, 1 (5 min. approx.).
Health and safety
In general, Italy is viewed as a 'safe' destination, although problems, of course, can and do occur anywhere. You don't need to get shots; most foodstuff is safe and the water in cities and towns potable. If you're concerned, order bottled water. It is easy to get a prescription filled in towns and cities, and nearly all places throughout Italy contain English-speaking doctors at hospitals with well-trained medical staffs.
How to get around in Rome?
Like most Italian cities, even the larger ones, the best way to get around Rome is to walk – you’ll see more and will appreciate the city more. The city wasn’t built for motor traffic, and it shows in the traffic jams, the pollution, and the bad tempers of its drivers. That said, its bus service, run by ATAC, is, on the whole, a good one – cheap, reliable and as quick as the clogged streets allow. Remember to board through the rear doors and punch your ticket as you enter.
Medical insurance
Most countries have bilateral agreements with Italy for recognition of medical insurance. Check with your health insurer to see what their policy is for international travel; insurance may be limited to emergency room coverage only. Have your local insurance agency (or Social Security depending upon the case) provide you with the appropriate forms you should carry with you in case you need medical care.
Mobile phones
As a courtesy to speakers and other delegates, we request that all mobile phones or pagers be turned off before entering the conference sessions.
More information about Rome
Rome, Italy’s capital, rises on the banks of the Tevere about 25 kilometers from its main outlet in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is situated at the center of an undulating plain, the Campagna Romana, which is confined one side by the hills of Monte Mario, Gianicolo and Monteverde and on the other side by smaller hills of volcanic origin - the so-called ‘Seven Hills’.
Two thousand years of history have made the artistic and architectural patrimony of Rome so rich that the tourist feels overwhelmed. Thus it is preferable to outline a precise program and to fix determined objectives, according to one’s taste and the amount of time available.
For more information about Rome, see: http://www.rome.info/map/e.info/.
For a map of Roma and the surrounding area, see: http://www.rome.info/map/.
Insurance / Disclaimer
The organisers do not accept responsibility for individual medical, travel or personal insurance and all participants are strongly advised to take out their own personal insurance before travelling to the conference. The organisers will not accept any liability for damages and/or losses of any kind which may be incurred by conference participants or by any persons accompanying them, both during official activities and the social events.
Name badge
Participants will receive a name badge. Everyone is kindly requested to wear this badge during all conference activities, as it is your identification and allows you access to the conference venue, conference lunches and coffee breaks.
Registration desk
Registration for all participants will take place:
on Wednesday 8 October 2008
in the lobby of the Jolly Hotel. Signs placed around the hotel will direct you to where you need to go.
The address is:
Hotel Jolly
Corso Italia 1
00198 Rome
Italy
on Thursday 9 October 2008
in the lobby of Cgil. Signs placed around the conference center will direct you to where you need to go.
The address is:
CGIL (Confederazione Generale Italiana di Lavoro)
Corso Italia 25
00198 Rome
Italy
The conference registration desk will be opened during the days of the conference. The staff at the registration desk will be pleased to assist you with all your enquiries.
Security
Unfortunately, conferences provide a tempting target for thieves, so please take care of bags, laptops and other personal belongings.
The organisers cannot accept any responsibility for losses incurred or for personal health and safety.
If you have any special needs or requirements, please specify them on the registration form.
Shops and markets
Opening hours
In the winter shops are generally open from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:30 to 19:30; in the summer they are open from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. Some shops downtown have continuous hours, from 10:30 to 19:30. They are closed on Sundays and on Monday mornings, with the exception of grocery stores and some stores carrying technical items, which are closed on Sundays and on Thursday afternoons in winter and on Saturday afternoons in summer.
Markets
Besides the Roman shops, the Open Markets are also worth visiting. The following are some of the most typical:
Campo de’ Fiori Situated in the heart of the old city, in Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, it is open from Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 13:30. Every morning the piazza fills up with varied stands that sell fruits and vegetables, meats, chicken and fish, dried beans, dried fruits, and flowers. Excellent speciality food and bread shops surround the piazza, rounding out the range of products offered.
Porta Portese, Via Portuense and Via Ippolito Nievo Open Sundays from 6:30 to 14:00. Here one can find anything: clothes, shoes, purses, suitcases, camping supplies, sheets, washcloths, pots and pans, kitchen supplies, plants, puppies, spare parts, cassettes and compact discs, old LPs and 78s.
Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour.
No daylight saving time.
By plane (from the airport to the city) and train
The Leonardo da Vinci airport, situated at Fiumicino, is about 36 km from Rome
Rome’s main airport is well connected to the center of town during the day by an express train and other, slower, trains.
The express train between Fiumicino Airport and Termini station costs approx. 12 Euro and takes approximately 30 minutes. Services begin at 7.37 a.m., and then leave hourly from 8.07 a.m. until 10.07 p.m.
You can find all train schedules at http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html.
It is also possible to reach the city using buses that stop just outside the airport. They go to the air terminal of via Giolitti, situated alongside the Termini Station.
The Ciampino airport, 16 km south-east of Rome, is the destination for most air charters and for some domestic lines
It is connected to the Termini Station by a local train line and by the buses that go outside the city limits (‘extraurban’).
Map
For a map of Roma and the surrounding area, see: http://www.rome.info/map/.
Taxi’s from the airports and vice versa
The average fare for a taxi ride from Fiumicino or Ciampino to central Rome is approx. 40 Euro. That is the predetermined night & day taxi fare (for max. 4 persons in the same car), it is generally more convenient to go with a predermined fare than using a taxi metered cab. You should ask the taxi driver to apply the predetermined fare when you get on board the taxi. When not applicable, e.g. if you are directed to Termini railway station or not in the historical centre, fares become more expensive at night.
Just one warning: to avoid unpleasant situations, it's a good idea to use only authorized taxis. Authorized taxi companies in Rome: http://www.3570.it/, http://www.6645.it/. After exiting the arrival halls at Fiumicino, you’ll find the taxi stand.
Note: You may be approached by illegal taxi drivers in the stations and at the airports. If you need a taxi, look for the official white-metered taxis. There are taxi stands at both Fiumicino Airport and Termini station.
Weather / Climate
Rome is a year-round city, and you can really visit at any time of year. Some times, however, are better than others. If you can, you should avoid visiting Rome in July and August, when the weather is hot and sticky, and those Romans that don’t make their living exclusively from the tourist industry have left town; many businesses are closed, and in those places that are open most of the patrons will be fellow-tourists. The weather is more comfortable in May, June and September, when most days will be warm but not unbearably so, and less humid, though you’ll still find the city busy during these times; April, outside of Easter, and October, are quieter and the weather can still be clement – making this in many ways the ideal time to come. The winter months can be nice, with many of the city’s more popular sights pleasantly uncrowded: the weather can be rainy but the temperatures are usually mild.
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