Study Abroad in Rome: Travel Information

Rome: Art, Archeology and Civic Life

Forms & Waivers

The Italian Consulate has notified American universities that all students studying in Italy who do not hold an Italian passport must obtain a student visa. To expedite this process, Brown will submit a single application for student visas. You must provide the necessary documentation to Summer and Continuing Studies by 12PM on April 1.
For completing your visa application, you must purchase a ticket to Italy and you must indicate the Port of Entry on your application.  Your point of entry (for your visa request) is the first city in Italy which you enter.  If you will be traveling in Europe after your program ends, trains will come in to either Rome or Naples. Train tickets from any city in Italy to another may be purchased on the web at www.ferrovie.it

Additional Documentation

You do not need to submit the following items to us, but you will need them in Italy.  Remember to bring:

4 passport-size photos

Your Brown student ID card

International Student ID card (available at STA/Council Travel) – this will get you discounted admission rates all over Europe

Any medications you take – bring extra!

Copies of your important documents (passport, visa, credit cards, etc) – store them separately from the originals

Leave another set of copies with someone at home

Mandatory Orientation Meetings

Students are required to attend the two mandatory orientation sessions.  By submitting your application and your non-refundable deposit, you are agreeing to attend both of these orientations and to submit the required visa documentation and University forms by the deadlines posted.  Failure to meet these obligations may result in the forfeiture of your deposit and enrollment in the program.
Orientation #1: March 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Summer and Continuing Studies, Graduate Center E, 4th floor conference room
42 Charlesfield Street

We will go over the necessary paperwork for you program.  Please bring the following items:

  • Copy of the signature and photo page of your passport
  • Your passport (valid through October 2008)
  • 2 passport photos

Orientation #2: April 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm

Summer and Continuing Studies, Graduate Center E, 4th floor conference room
42 Charlesfield Street

You will learn more about the details of life and study in Rome.

Housing and Meals

In Rome, students live in a central residential facility: the Residence Candia  Students will share a room with one or two other students.  During the final week of the program, you will live in a shared room at a hotel in Pompeii.
Most meals are not included in the cost of the program – you will have kitchen access to prepare your own meals or you can enjoy the delicious offerings of Italy’s cafes, trattorias and restaurants.

Health Insurance

In order to participate in a Brown program in Italy, you must have Italian international health insurance. Brown will make the arrangements for this purchase.  You must also be aware of the Brown University Insurance policy and review the notice posted below.
You must verify that your health provider will cover you while outside the US. It is Brown University's policy that all enrolled students must have health insurance coverage. To participate in one of Brown's summer study abroad programs, you must provide proof of health insurance coverage.

Current Brown Undergraduates

As a current Brown undergraduate for the 07-08 academic year, you have already made a decision in regard to your insurance coverage through August 15, 2008. You either waived the University's student insurance plan in favor of a private insurance policy, or you are currently insured under Brown's plan. The decision you made will remain in effect for the duration of the summer study abroad program, unless you contact the Insurance Office by May 19, 2008 to make a change. Students can choose to enroll in the University's plan for the summer term (coverage effective 6/1/08 - 8/15/08) if they learn that their private plan does not provide coverage to them while overseas. The summer insurance fee of $528.00 will be charged to your student account along with the other summer study abroad fees.
Please contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481 or by e-mail at Cheryl_Moan@brown.edu. Be sure to identify yourself as a current Brown undergraduate who waived out of the University's plan for the 07-08 academic year, but who will need to be enrolled in the plan for the summer term while participating in a study abroad program. Please be advised that students may elect to enroll in Brown's insurance plan for the summer term, but cannot waive out of the plan for the summer period.
Copies of the Brown University student health insurance plan brochure will be available at the orientation sessions. Students who are insured through the University's plan should bring this brochure with them overseas, along with their health insurance ID card and some claim forms.
Claim forms and the plan brochure are available on the Insurance Office web site.
If you have questions about the benefits of the Brown University insurance plan, you may contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481.
Important note: If you will be enrolled at Brown University for the 2008-09 academic year, you will receive an additional student health insurance packet in May and you will be charged a student health insurance fee on your July billing statement. This fee is for coverage effective August 15, 2008 - August 15, 2009. If you plan on waiving the University's student insurance plan for the 2008-09 academic year, be sure to submit your annual waiver by the deadline of June 1, 2008.

Non-Brown Students

Non-Brown students who will participate in a Brown-sponsored summer study abroad program will be automatically enrolled in Brown University's student health insurance plan for the summer term (coverage effective 6/1/08 - 8/15/08). The summer insurance fee of $528.00 will be charged to your student account along with the other summer study abroad fees. You may view information about Brown's 07-08 student health insurance plan
If you have questions about the benefits of the Brown University insurance plan, you may contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481.
If you have health insurance coverage through a private plan, you may waive enrollment in Brown's insurance plan. If you do not need Brown's insurance coverage, you must complete and return the summer term health insurance waiver form to Brown's Insurance Office by the deadline of May 19, 2008.
All students insured through a private plan should check on the following:
1) Will my insurance plan provide benefits to me while outside of the U.S.?
If so, you should be familiar with how to use the benefits and, if applicable, how to get reimbursed for expenses paid out of pocket while abroad. You should bring any insurance materials with you to help facilitate the process of receiving medical care abroad (i.e. health insurance ID card, summary of benefits, claim forms, etc.)
2) Will my insurance plan cover me for the duration of my study abroad program?

Program Safety

To All 2008 Outgoing Students, Their Parents, and Families:
The Office of Summer & Continuing Studies (SCS) and its staff members abroad take the safety and security of all students who participate in our programs very seriously. Included here is an overview of SCS’s safety precautions for programs abroad.

To remain current on international safety concerns, SCS staff consults regularly with the Office of International Programs, with off-site administrators and responsible officials of foreign host universities, with the US Department of State and other governmental and non-governmental agencies, and other experts, including our faculty, who keep well-informed on issues and events in international locations where we have sponsored and approved programs. Additionally, in recent years, we have taken a number of steps to update our preparedness to deal with emergencies on Summer & Continuing Studies programs abroad.
Safety Precautions
• Program Directors, at Brown and abroad, possess numerous means for contacting each other, including 24 hour phone numbers and multiple email addresses.
• Students studying abroad are provided with 24 hour contact phone numbers for both resident staff of SCS Programs and Brown University staff. Off-site administrators and instructors have procedures in place to enable contact with students when necessary, and these procedures have been shared with students. Students, regardless of their destination, are further advised to be especially vigilant in light of the current international climate.
• University staff monitor announcements from the US Department of State and other sources daily. These include the State Department’s daily global security briefing and instant notification of all Travel Warnings and Advisories. Additionally, the University receives global health, safety and security advisories from International SOS, the largest medical and security-assistance company in the world.
• All students studying abroad are automatically covered by a Brown Travel Assistance Plan* administered by International SOS, whose services range from telephone advice and referrals to full-scale evacuation by private air ambulance. International SOS has more than 3,500 professionals in 24-hour alarm centers, international clinics and remote-site medical facilities across five continents. You can access up-to-date reports on more than 170 countries worldwide on health issues, medical care and vaccination requirements via the International SOS website—your home page for travel health and safety information. To use their services or should you have any questions about the coverage, visit the International SOS website. For reference purposes, Brown’s group membership number is 11BSGC000031.
• The off-site administrator at each SCS program site will register the students with the local US Consulate.
• The off-site administrator at each SCS Program site has on file an Emergency Action Protocol that covers emergency communication and assembly of students and situations up to and including cancellation of the program. Each SCS program has instructed students in emergency contact procedures and provides students with updates to these procedures as well as timely information relating to given situations when they arise.
• Students are required, when traveling away from the host city, to provide resident staff with travel information at all times and to be in communication with their program. Furthermore, they are encouraged to check the State Department Travel Advisory website referred to in point 3 above.
• In the event of an emergency, parents and family members can contact the Office of Summer & Continuing Studies (401) 863-7900 (during business hours) or the Brown Department of Public Safety (401) 863-3322 after business hours.
Over the years, hundreds of students have participated in Summer & Continuing Studies programs, returning safely and in good health from their experiences abroad. While no level of preparation can prevent all problems or completely guarantee the safety of students who study and/or travel abroad, we believe that taking proper precautions not only helps avert any number of crises, but also allows for an appropriate response when emergencies arise. We ask that students participating in Summer & Continuing Studies programs abroad be especially vigilant of their local surroundings and communicate to SCS staff any security questions or concerns they may have.
The Office of Summer & Continuing Studies welcomes questions relating to program safety and we ask that you do not hesitate to contact our office.
Telephone: 401 863.7900
Email: summer@brown.edu
Fax: 401 863.7908
Sincerely,
Kathryn Good,
Director of International Students and Programs
Office of Summer & Continuing Studies
*Please note that the Brown Travel Assistance Plan is not health insurance. Requests for reimbursement for medical care received while abroad should be submitted to a student’s health insurance provider.

Travel Advisory

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to carefully monitor avian flu. Currently, there is not a pandemic of influenza of any type, and neither health organization has issued a travel warning with regard to avian flu. As a precaution, however, the Office of International Programs is providing you below with factual information on the concerns related to avian flu, together with an overview of recommendations as we continue to monitor pandemic efforts.