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Students can bring their favourite basic necessities for studio or plan to buy supplies there. Most items are available in Rome but the exchange rate is not as favourable as it has been in the past. Plan to buy larger items such as sketchbooks in Italy.
Shops in Rome are usually open from 9:00am - 1:00pm and 3:30pm - 7:30pm except on Sundays and Monday mornings. Grocery shops also close on Thursday afternoons. Some bookshops and some clothes stores (around Campo dei Fiori, for example) open on Sundays, 10:00am or 3:00pm - 7:00pm.
For your weekly fix of movie time in Rome, drop in almost any night at "The Quirinetta" in Via Minghetti which shows two performances of "original version" (usually English) movies every weekday and Saturdays.
Listed below are more cinemas in Rome showing English language films, though only at certain times, usually one night per week. Phone for their schedules (you'll need to speak Italian to the person at the other end of the phone):
Check local Rome newspapers for listings - movies in English will have the letters "VO" ("Version Originale") appended to each movie title. Be careful as this could also mean that it's a German film for instance that's being shown in German. Or check http://www.romereview.com/.
The following is a list of places that you will be able to shop for your computer and electronic needs:
The following is a list of locations where you can locate your drafting supply needs:
Here's a quick guide on Italian eating habits:
7:00 am - 11:00 am
This is always a light meal. May consist of a cappuccino or coffee and cornetto (croissant) at a bar (often standing up) or coffee and biscuits and possibly a piece of fruit at home.
The cornetto or brioche (another kind of croissant) can be plain (liscia), filled with jam (con marmellata) or confectioners custard (con crema), even occasionally with chocolate (con cioccolata).
Interesting note: For Italians cappuccino is a breakfast drink and most do not drink it after 11:00 am.
12:30 pm - 2:00 in the north, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm in the south
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Depending on the person, dinner may be a lighter meal like salad or either il primo or il secondo piatto. Many Italians (especially if eating out) will have the full works again. Going out for a pizza to a pizzeria (where else?) is also very popular. Many places deliver or do take out.
The foreign custom of "going out for a drink" isn't particularly popular in Italy, where most people consume alcohol only with meals, although many Italians have a grappa or brandy with their morning coffee. Nevertheless, bars and caffès are plentiful in Italy and are an essential part of daily life.
When you enter a bar, your first decision is whether to stand or sit; table (tavola) or terrace (terrazzo) service is usually twice as expensive as standing - a tariff list (listino prezzi) must, by law, be posted behind the bar. If you choose to stand, you must usually order from the cashier (cassa), who gives you a receipt (scontrino) that you present to the bartender, although in smaller bars you may be able to order first and pay when you leave. If you decide to sit, you must wait to be served.
Coffee (caffè) is an institution in Italy and is served in many ways. Among the most common are:
A decaffeinato or hag usually consists of a sachet of decaffeinated coffee and a cup of warm milk (decaf isn't popular in Italy).
Italians aren't great tea drinkers and, if you ask for tea, you should be prepared to receive a glass of lukewarm water with a teabag beside it. If you want proper tea, ask for boiling water (molto caldo or bollente) and bring your own teabag!
Other hot drinks include chocolate (cioccolata), which is thick enough to eat with a spoon.
Italian beers include Moretti, Frost and Peroni, which are served in bottles containing one-third or two-thirds of a litre and on draught (alla spina).
Prices average around €1.50 for a small (piccola, 20cl) beer, €2 for a medium (media, 40cl) beer and around €2.75 for a large (grande, 66cl) beer – although prices depend very much on the establishment and whether you sit or stand, and you can pay up to around €5. Beers from a wide range of other countries are also widely available.
Wine (vino) is served by the glass, costing from around €1 to €1.50, although you can pay up to €12 for a glass of vintage wine in a wine bar.
Non-alcoholic drinks include granita, an ideal summer drink made with fresh lemon or other fruit juice and crushed ice. Carbonised drinks are also popular throughout Italy, where bars and caffès are obliged (by law) to provide a free glass of tap water for anyone who wants it, irrespective of whether you buy anything else.
Bars usually serve a wide range of snacks, from sandwiches to basic hot meals. Snack bars (paninoteche) specialise in made-to-order sandwiches with a vast choice of fillings, which are usually displayed behind the counter. The different sandwiches available include:
Restaurants rarely open for lunch before 12:30 pm and for dinner before 7:30 pm and they usually close one day per week, generally a Sunday or Monday. Many restaurants offer a choice of cheaper set meals.
The bill (conto) usually includes a cover charge (coperto) of between €0.75 and €3 per person, which may include bread (pane e coperto). There may be an added service (servizio) charge of around 10 to 15 per cent. Tipping is often a casual affair, with bills rounded up, rather than a specific percentage added.
There are countless restaurants (ristoranti) and other eating places in Rome, including the following:
Literally means "hot table" - a cheap, self-service establishment.
Essentially a wine bar offering a small selection of dishes;
Serving mainly cooked meats and a selection of take-away food.
Traditionally a family-run establishment, simpler in cuisine and less expensive than a ristorante proper, although the two have become interchangeable terms and there's usually little difference between them, except perhaps in price (a trattoria usually being cheaper).
What else we can say - the best.
There are many shops and bakeries selling slices of pizza and filled pizza by weight. You simply point out which one and how much and they will weigh it and charge you accordingly.
Near the studio: There is a forno on Via del Moro which has a vast range of pizza toppings; on the corner of Piazza S. Apollonia a little shop sells great porchetta (roast pork) sandwiches; beside the Standa on Via S. Francesco a Ripa there is a truly wonderful pizza a taglio where you can also buy takeaway containers of (hot) pasta dishes.
A slightly less expensive option is the cheese shop on the other side of Standa called the Antica Caciara, where you will find Roberto, whom generations of students have adored as the friendliest, kindest shopkeeper in Trastevere.
There are four supermarkets (see the list below) in the immediate area, all with their own specialties. Standa has entrances from Viale Trastevere and Via San Francesco a Ripa, you go in through the department store Oviesse into the basement. Todis is a smaller discount supermarket on Via Natale del Grande, ideal for buying staples. Anyone who wants gluten-free foods or soya burgers should check out the selection at Todis. Also on on Via Natale del Grande is Panella, with an excellent meat section. On the other side of Viale Trastevere is Di Per Di. At the checkout, they will ask if you want a busta - a bag, for your shopping. There is also a fresh food market in Piazza di San Cosimato that ends at lunchtime, about 1:30 pm or 2:00 pm. Another market nearby is the one in Campo di Fiori.
What's the Eternal City like? What can you expect and how will it keep you entertained?
You can stroll along the cobble stoned streets of Trastevere area (just a few steps away from the Tiber River) with an ice cream in your hand. You can sit in a cafe overlooking Campo De Fiori, watching life go by with a glass of chilled white wine, or you can choose to dance the night away in one of the many clubs in Testaccio, the "hot spot" of the Roman movida. You can mingle in the university area of San Lorenzo, with its population of students and countless pizzerias, pubs and wine bars. The possibilities for great entertainment will be infinite.
Rome's nightlife starts late. It is not unusual for locals to meet up for dinner around 9:30 pm or even 10:00 pm.
There are lots of bars and clubs, pubs and disco spread all over the city (although, as we’ll see, some areas offer a higher concentration of possibilities) but the best way to enjoy the culture, vibe and spirit of the city is outdoors.
As the weather is mild here for most part of the year, every square turns often into a big outdoor bar. The locals love their evening "passeggiata" (slow walk through the old town). They stroll around the cobble stoned streets sipping a beer while chatting with friends just outside a pub or sitting at a table outside a cafe.
When the night is almost over and it’s time to go home, locals usually like to indulge in one of their favorite habits connected with the nightlife in Rome: they grab a "cornetto" (croissant filled with jam, custard cream, nutella, honey or plain) and drink a hot cappuccino on the way back home.
The area around Piazza Navona and Via della Pace is quite chic, with wine bars and cafes and its labyrinth of alleys.
Campo De Fiori is heterogeneous and loud and it is where tourists mix up with local youngsters, a 30’s and 40’s year old crowd, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and with frat students from the the several American colleges Rome hosts.
Trastevere close to the studio is a little bohemienne, so roman but also so international, with coffe shops, restaurants, pubs and wine bars good for the aperitif.
San Lorenzo is where the main university is located so it is a young, laid back area where students hang out in the many pubs. The atmosphere is informal and lively.
Testaccio/Ostiense the main streets of Monte Testaccio and via Ostiense and the surroundings are packed with bars, from hip, posh spots to house music clubs, from salsa, discos to risto-bars (places where you can drink, eat and dance).
There are still a few things you should know to get accustomed with nightlife in Rome. Romans are very fond of Irish (or pseudo Irish) pubs so you'll find them almost everywhere. The car traffic does not necessarily slow down at night- on the contrary, it can get chaotic especially around the main nightlife zones.
With the exception of the fee for the initial consultation, the fees charged are lower than the Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP) fee schedule. Nevertheless, you must pay in cash at the hospital and apply to your insurer for reimbursement. In the event of a major illness, a student may be advised to return to Canada. The Permesso di Soggiorno will allow you to go to any public hospital for emergency and other medical consultations.
Aventino Medical: Via della Fonte di Fauno 2 - Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 7:30 pm - Tel./Fax 06-578-0738, 06-5728- 8349 - info@aventinomedicalgroup.com.
Rome American Hospital: Via Emilio Longoni 69 - Tel. 06-22551, 06-25671, 06-256-7290, 06-256-7408.
If you just want a few stamps it will probably be easier for you to purchase them at a "tabaccheria" and then drop your postcards in the nearest postbox.
Posta ordinaria: The cheapest option, starting from €0.41. Letters take about three days.
Posta prioritaria: Fast, reliable, and relatively cheap. Letters inside Italy should take about a day. Prices start at €0.62.
Posta raccomandata: Letters with a delivery receipt. An Italian bureaucratic fetish, you'll see many people and companies prefer to communicate this way, and may require you to do the same. A standard letter costs €2.58.
Posta assicurata: Letters are insured in case of loss. Prices vary depending on the amount insured.
Postacelere: Fast mail with delivery receipt. Packages should weigh less than 3kg and should not measure more than 45.5 x 32 x 5cm. Delivery is guaranteed all around Italy in one working day (excluding the day you sent the package and Saturdays). Packages are also delivered on Saturday in 750 Italian cities.
Rome is a great place for shopping, with designer outlets and department stores all over the city. Rome is home to a diverse array of shopping opportunities.
Shops in Rome usually open at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm, except on Sundays and Monday mornings. Grocery shops also close on Thursday afternoons. Some bookshops (where people often met) and some clothes shops (around Campo dei Fiori, for example) open on Sundays, 10:00 am or 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm.
This street is home to the top designer brands in Italy and one of the best streets for shopping in Rome. On Via Dei Condotti you will find Armani, Prada, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and other notable names.
Bustling pedestrian street that runs from Piazza del Popolo down to Piazza Venezia. Via del Corso is very popular with Romans and tourists alike and is home to famous shops like the Ferrari flagship store and Swarowski Crystal. If it's retail therapy in Rome you are after then the Via del Corso is a must!
Located just over the River Tiber, the Trastevere district of Rome whose name literally translates as "across the Tiber". A Bohemian spirit grips Trastevere and you can take great pleasure in getting lost in its many winding streets. See the outdoor food market in Piazza San Cosimato. This is a great chance to watch local Trasteverians buying and bargaining with vendors. The market starts about 7:00 am and closes at 2:00 pm.
Viale Marconi is very good for shopping and is particularly popular with young trendy Romans. A bit out from the city centre, it can be reached by talking the Metro Line B to Marconi. It is about 15 minutes away from the Colosseum.
Piazza Navona is a great place for art lovers, the surrounding streets contain a wealth of art galleries and antique shops. There is a great film and cinema shop in Via del Governo Vecchio which is definitely worth a browse, particularly if you are a fan of Italian cinema.
The larger and more colourful and lively markets in the centre of Rome are worth to visit. They usually open at 7:00 am - 1:00 pm, Monday to Saturday. A word of warning; crowded open air markets are ideal hunting grounds for nimble-fingered pickpockets, so please be careful.
A food market with a mesmerizing array of fresh foods, fruits, fish and meat, run by people from all over the world.
This is the main flea market in Rome held at the back of Trastevere quarter. Here you'll find a bit of everything (including the occasional stolen item), though you wont find a real bargain.
This is a relatively new flea market that is held in a huge 4 floor garage between Piazza del Popolo and Via Veneto. There's a bit of everything here!
Though not strictly a flea market, the outdoor stalls at Via Sannio is where you'll find bargains on used clothing and army surplus. Also expect great deals on shoes (you can buy good-quality name-brand shoes that have been used in shop window displays).
Soffitta sotto i Portici has more than 100 stands to stroll through.
Waterloo Architecture
7 Melville Street South
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
N1S 2H4
architecture@uwaterloo.ca
Contact Waterloo Architecture
Support Waterloo Architecture
Tours and directions
Provide Website Feedback
Musagetes Library
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.