Students

Students > Practical Info

All participants must have a valid passport, and most will need a visa. With assistance from the MIT-Italy Program, obtaining a visa takes1-2 weeks, depending on your nationality and the season. Before the summer and well in advance of your travel, we strongly recommend making an appointment with the visa office at the Italian Consulate in Boston.

If you are traveling on a student visa, the Italian government requires you to buy a specific insurance policy that gives you access to the National Health Service. For more info, please contact the MIT-Italy Program office.

Host companies and labs usually help with housing. Alternatively, the following websites may be of some help:

Stipends are paid at the END of the month. Please make sure you’ve set aside enough money to cover your expenses for the first month--about $1,500 at the current exchange rate. An ATM card is the best way to withdraw funds from your home account without incurring major fees. Opening—and closing—bank accounts in Italy remains relatively complicated, so you may want to avoid doing so, unless your stipend is deposited electronically. Wiring from Italy to the US is not always reliable and may require several trials.

All interns traveling with a visa have to report to the local Questura to obtain their permit.

Cell phones have long been one of Italy’s main obsessions. They work everywhere, and Italians use them everywhere. By contrast, Internet access is expensive and not widely available, and Internet cafes are hard to find.

The standard voltage in Italy is 220 volts (110 in the US). Electricity converters can be easily purchased.

Intensive Italian ONE at MIT over IAP — contact the Program
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/%7Erll/index.html
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2007-08/courses/ital.jsp
http://www.dantealighieri.net/cambridge/
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2007-08/courses/ital.jsp
http://www.derada.com/
http://www.italicon.it/

Students

Visas and general information

Health Insurance

Housing

Money

Residency Permit

Phone and internet access

Electricity

Practical information — getting to, Traveling around, and surviving in Italy

Learning Italian

Italian News and Culture