Yes, Via Ulisse Rocchi is the main drag down to the Uni for Foreigners. It sounds like you are considering a rental with a double bed, a single bed and a pull out. You might like to check so that you can be sure that you will be comfortable (3 adults). Is the kitchen suitable for preparing meals or is it a kitchenette?
which is a two bedroom apartment with two large bedrooms sleeping four adults comfortably and with full kitchen and bathroom facilities. I see they quote a weekly price but, on enquiry, they make a special price for monthly accommodation. It is in Via Bartolo which runs parallell to Ulisse Rocchi and is about 200 metres from the Uni for Foreigners. It may be worth a bit extra rental for the extra space and comfort.
That certainly sounds nicer. The only problem, as with Baldesca, is that the two single beds are in the same room - so either the young prince gets the matrimonial bed or the two young people of opposite sexes are sleeping in the same room. The kitchen certainly sounds nicer - living alone, I'd certainly make do with a kitchenette, but fr three adults for a month, that would be a spur to eating pizzas every night...
I couldn't imagine wanting to stay with my mum when at that age (I'm the mum's age now) but I think times have changed from the hippie epoch...
Posts: 868 | Location: Montréal | Registered: 29 January 2006
BTW - Perugia is a fantastic place to base yourself for a month. It is the transport hub for the region and there are buses and trains networking throughout Umbria and Tuscany - Assisi, Gubbio, Spello, Spoleto, Siena, Lago Trasimeno etc.
Trains to Rome and Florence take about 2 1/2 - 3 hours so you can go for the day very easily.
Perugia is a fascinating city with a rich history dating back to Etruscan times (who can forget the Sabine women?) but with its main emphasis in the Middle Ages. Being there for a month will give you the opportunity to explore all its nooks and crannies in depth and you will come to know it and love it deeply, I'm sure.
The standard of teaching at the Uni for Foreigners is excellent and there will be so many people of all ages and nationalities for you and your children to get to know.
Lucky you!
I think you are wise to stay in the historic centre because you are in the thick of things at all times!
Thanks so much for your responses. I can't wait to get there. Have a look at the apartment - have not yet confirmed it. There are two bedrooms and three single beds - here is the link. http://www.perugiaonline.com/residenzaturrena/
I have copied this from our emails "as regards your request we can say that at Turrena residence we have a large apartment, with a large two-beds room, a single room on a intermediate floor, a large living room and kitchen, private room with shower, a little terrace. They have internet connection if you have a PC".
Re the kitchen, the website english version says "living room with cooking corner with four ring, refrigerator and dishes, bath room" and the italian version says "soggiorno con angolo cottura dotato di 4 fuochi, frigo e stoviglie, bagno" - so it appears there is a corner kitchen with 4 cooking elements, a fridge, stove and washer - it could be a dishwasher but the picture looks like a washing machine.
I think I will call tonight and confirm it - I was just hoping for something a bit cheaper. Can anyone please tell me if November is a low or high season in Perugia.
Also, is it noisy in Ulisse Rocchi late at night?
I have asked if there is a washing machine and exactly what is included in the price - final cleaning is an additional 100 euros.
I will be staying at the Residenze Turrenza during the month of November, having fretted about where to stay during my tuition at the University for Foreigners. It seems like a nice place in the 'thick of it all' and my choice has been condoned by others as well.
Funnily enough my wife has relatives in the south as well, namely the beachside suburb or Siderno (ring a bell?). We stayed there for a week last year during September during our big trip around Italy. I must admit that, as nice as it was, things were quietening down and the usual summer festa's were coming to an end. I take it that you'll have transportation down to Calabria and that your relatives will pick you up from whereever you are getting off, as it is about 1 1/2 hours from Lamezia Termi airport to Siderno, or about 1 hour from Gioia Tauro railway station to Siderno. My cousin from Milan, who works for the 'ferrovia' (railways) told me that the railway system from Napoli northwards is first class, but from the south of Napoli it's third world, and I can vouch for that, having taken a 12 hour train ride from Gioia Tauro to Foggia to go see Padre Pio.
Without trying to scare you I would be cautious of travelling on the trains, simply because I have heard alot of stories. I initially thought that it was all crap (about people getting gassed to sleep in their cabins and their luggage stolen), but I have heard the same story from non-Italians who have experienced it first hand (having their luggage stolen). If you get into a cabin, just keep the doors tightly closed and open only for the conductor. Additionally, have one person stay awake whilst the others can get some sleep (the benefits of travelling in a group), but otherwise, and above all else, travelling with commonsense. What I found in Italy, and even in my beloved Assisi and San Giovani Rotondo, was that the vagrants and the pick-pocketers would hang around the churches begging for money. As desperate as their plight seems, ignore them and keep walking. Don't have any valuables visible and just enjoy the environment. Strangely enough on my first day in Venice we were treated like tourists when all the 'natives' saw our camera's and baggage whilst travelling through the city. On the second day we just took ourselves and some spending money and the natives thought we were locals!!! But I suppose it's the same no matter where you go in the world.
Anyway Monda, the people on this bulletin board know a fair thing or two about Perugia and travelling around Italia, so make the most of it and keep us all posted.
Buon Viaggio e tanti auguri per sua vacanza!
Paolo.
PS The coffee is beautiful in Italy (Must be the water), but you only get a little bit for one swallow!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Posts: 15 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 06 September 2006
I have to admit you have frightened me. I had intented to use the train as our main mode of transport. I was going to take the train from Perugia down to Positano, then down to Sicily and then across to Calabria as far as I could. I know I cannot go all the way by train from Reggio to Siderno - yes my cousin lives in Siderno Marina. I had not planned to have anyone come and pick me up from anywhere nor had I planned to sleep overnight on any of the trains as I want to see the scenery.
I am looking to buy a Trenitalia pass and a France and Spain Europass. These are about $AUD800 combined per person for 1st class travel. The brochure also contains passes for Britrail plus Ireland for $AUD782 1st class and $AUD694 2nd class for 5 days travel in one month and $AUD1265 1st class and $AUD730 for 2nd class travel for 10 days in one month.
The holder of a Eurail pass can also buy a France to London ticket for $AUD109 2nd class or $AUD197 1st class. Then there are those London and Paris city passes that let you get on and off the trains to visit sites, the Paris one does all the museums and monuments and the London one does over 50 attractions. The London 6 day one is $AUD182.
I am not sure if the buses are cheaper or better than the trains but I like the notion of paying for things from here as the Australian dollar is so weak against the pound. I also like the notion of not having to queue to go to the sites - I hate standing in long lines.
If I buy all of the above, it will cost me around $AUD$4,000 which is getting expensive but it gives me two months train travel in Italy over 10 days, 4 days travel in Spain and France over 4 days and the 5 or 10 days travel with Britrail, which covers us really well for train travel in all the countries we want to visit.
Is 10 days train travel in Italy too long? I had also envisaged using the trains to get from Perugia to other areas of interest such as the Cinque Terre.
It will be great to have someone from Australia in the same building as us. Not only from Australia but also from the same town in Calabria. What a small world it is!!
Via Ulisse Rocchi, as with many streets in the centre of Perugia, is not noisy in itself. However, due to the way the town is built with lots of tall buildings but very narrow streets, noise carries. Each apartment is individual though - it depends on where it faces, which floor it's on etc.
Chances are, you can hear the echo of a car that is driving two streets away. Or even hear the chatter of youngsters congregating on the steps of the Duomo (even if you're on the opposite side.) It's just the acoustics of the place, and after a couple of nights you get used to it. It just becomes background noise.
Earlier in the year I lived about mid-way down Via Bartolo, and the only time the "background" noise ever bothered me was during the elections when someone thought it would be a great idea to use a megaphone at 3am to tell everyone "avanti Savoia. Votate per Prodi."
In August I stayed in B&Bs in Via Cesare Caporali and also Via Calderini. Even though the B&B in Via Calderini was much closer to the Duomo, it was actually quieter than the one in Via Cesare Caporali because of the way the sound carried. I'm now in Via Marriotti and experience no noise carrying, due to my bedroom window facing outside the city walls. BUT when I'm in the kitchen I can hear my neighours' televisions perfectly.
That's another thing we're also not used to in Australia: the noise that comes from apartment living. You can hear the people moving around upstairs, or hear the television programme the people on the first floor are watching as it echoes through the cortile.
Once again, just something you get used to. Put it down to a "cultural experience"!
As always, hope you all have a brilliant time in Perugia. The more I'm here, the more I love it. I truly think it's one of Italy's most underrated cities, and I'm so happy that so many of you are coming to visit it!
Monda, the general wisdom about train tickets in Italy is that it's cheaper to buy point-to-point tickets rather than a rail pass.
You can use the Trenitalia website to price your point to point tickets and compare it to how much a rail pass costs. I'll bet you it's cheaper to buy point-to-point.
Train travel in Italy is incredibly safe and convenient. I'm a young solo female and have travelled extensively by train in Italy this year and have never had a problem. I place my backpack in the luggage racks at either end of the carriage, sit down and fall asleep. Noone has ever bothered me or nicked my stuff. And really, if they want to nick my smelly second-hand clothes they're welcome to them!
Remember that these days sometimes it's cheaper to fly! Check out no-frills airlines for trips like Paris-London, or Rome-London. It can either be cheaper and faster to fly via London than to take a train or a bus directly. For example, it's cheaper and faster for mum and I to fly from Carcassonne to Seville via London on Ryanair than it would be to take a train.
I also wouldn't buy a museum pass in Paris or London unless you're planning on visiting about four attractions per day. In London, most of the best museums are actually free! And the ones that aren't are generally a full day out anyway and you are unlikely to get value from a museum pass.
In England I wouldn't worry about queues. I have visited both Hampton Court and the Tower of London in peak season and only queued up for about five minutes. Things move extremely efficiently in London. Actually, Hampton Court and the Tower of London are the only two attractions in London that I've paid to go into. All the others are FREE!!! Also look into getting an Oyster Card in London with a seven-day travel pass. It will allow you unlimited Tube and Bus travel within a certain number of zones. For example a Zone 1-3 seven day travel card is 26 pounds and you can travel as much as you like for a week in zones 1-3. If you're intending to stay only within Zone 1 then it will be even less.
Travel does not have to be expensive (even in London!) you just need to know what to buy and what not to buy. If your plans in England are set, you can visit National Rail and see if super-cheap discounted tickets are available for the trips you want to do. Also Megabus and National Express do super-cheap coach tickets if you book a few weeks in advance.
I could write more! Let me know if you have any specific questions!
This is a little off topic, but does it usually take the uni per stranieri a long time to send you a confirmation? I paid a few weeks ago and I need that confirmation to get my student visa!
Do they send it by e-mail?
Monda,
My experience with the trains was great except for one. I was going to Milan from Paris and I should have known from the start that it would have been a problem. I was sharing my couchette with 2 men (NOT Italian). I didnt think it was a problem until I felt tugging at my sheets. I thought quickly, told them stuff in Spanish, and left to find a conductor who helped me and got me my own couchette. I locked the door and was fine. Another time, (I know I said once but this other time was not too bad) I was in an older train and I left my bags on the top shelf. I know they are there to put your stuff but don't do it! lol. Well in the middle of the night some random guy came into our couchette; later he left. A few hours later he came back, opened the door and would have taken my bag were it not for a man that woke up so he dropped them.
All these times I had been travelling alone so I decided that I had had enough of couchettes and would take seats in the hall (the seats not couchettes). Now, I keep my passport with me(unless the conductor takes it) and my bags are under my seat (pack light!), that way, it would deter someone from stealing stuff.
Despite all this, I would definately ride the trains! Don't fret, you just have to learn to watch your stuff. Duh, right? BTW, I've ridden in trains more than 10 times after that and never had anymore problems and I've slept through the trips (hugging my purse of course! )
Maria, the course confirmation takes an AGE to come through. If I remember rightly, Kathleen (the girl who started this thread and became a great friend of mine in PG) got her confirmation only a few days before she left and got her visa fine.
Mine was posted home after I'd already left for Europe! It arrived at the end of January when I was starting my course in February. Mum had to scan it for me and I printed it out to take to the Segretaria at the Uni.
What can I say - your generosity makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. That may sound corny, but in a world full of so many who only think of me, me, me, it is truly rewarding to find someone who gives so freely. This whole forum is amazing. I post on another Europen forum and trawl around lots of them but this one is way better than the rest. Never a harsh word from anyone and it is such a welcoming community. Any doubts I may have had about choosing Perugia to base myself in for a month have totally disappeared and I really cant wait to get there.
Claire, your comments on rail travel in Italy are very welcome. I will do as you say and cost the point to point versus the rail pass. Do you think this also applies in London and Ireland?
I have not yet made any arrangements for the UK leg of the trip. Will do some of that from Italy. I have lots of friends in England and am not going to do the distances I will in Italy so am not so worried by it. Also don't know how much money we will have left after 3 or more months in Ialy.
Rail travel in England is VERY expensive. About four times as much as in Italy... and I had a 30% discount with my Young Person's Rail Card! Just to give you an idea, my 3 1/2 hour journey from Buxton to London cost 35 pounds with a Young Person's Rail Card discount. That's twice what it costs to do the 5 hour trip from Perugia to Venice paying the full fare.
But you CAN get very cheap tickets if you book a few weeks in advance. Coaches are also generally cheaper than trains, once again with cheap tickets for bookings a few weeks in advance.
I don't actually find living in Italy that expensive. Food is about 30% more than in Australia, but you can save a lot by cooking at home and moving around less. Utilities like gas and electricity are also expensive. When taking out the cost of accommodation I've averaged 25E per day in Perugia. That takes into account food, travel, museum tickets, eating out, occasional shopping and utility bills. I've lived a beautiful life here and don't feel like I've missed out on anything at all.
From my last comment it seems that I am the angel of death or something. Dear Monda, don't worry about train travel, just beware (as is the case no matter where you go) of your surroundings. My parents were in the Pairs Metro a few years ago with a group of people (one of whom was a big biker-looking man) and my dad's ankles were getting frisked by a stranger on a packed train, presumably in search for cash or something. That didn't stop me from using it, but just made me a little more wiser (about where not to store things).
In addition to travelling on the train have you ever heard of AirOne? It's a cheap airline in Italy owned by Lufthansa, and by all means the tickets are cheaper than Alitalia. It might be a little bit more expensive than the trains but it will certainly cut down your travelling times. One of the downsides of AirOne is that if you were to fly into Milan you wouldn't fly into Malpensa but at the smaller Linate airport, but either way both have decent transportation to take you into the city. I have posted below, for your perusal, the website for Trenitalia, Alitalia and AirOne so that you can compare the prices. http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html http://www.alitalia.com/ http://www.flyairone.it/en/
Other than that just go over there and enjoy the time and scenery with your family. If you had to worry about every bad thing that might or might not occur then there's no point in leaving home. People warned me about getting "ripped off" (translated it means charged excessively) for purchases in Italy, such as a can of Coke costing 10 euro's etc, but not once did I get over charged. A cup of espresso coffee in St Marks Square Venice cost me on 0,85 euros, cheaper than a coffee anywhere in Sydney (or Australia for that matter) and it was good!
Thinking about it we did have to 'negotiate' a price to get from the airport to our hotel in Rome. One taxi driver was going to charge 90 euro's, most were chraging 60 euro's. We managed to find a lady taxi driver who did it for 55 euro's even though the information booth said that the taxi ride should only be 35 euro's! I still remember the car ride: 180 km/h on a 100km/h autostrada, no seatbeat, tailgating the car in front, talking to her boyfriend and us at the same time, whilst driving a manual. I thought this was the end of my life as I knew it, but we got to our hotel safe and sound and the ride was an experience. Next month I'll be taking the train to the city instead.
Dear Maria,
I've also got problems with obtaining a study visa. I cannot get an Italian passport as my parents (foolishly, with plenty of regrets now) renounced their citizenship 40 years ago (way way before I was born) and as I have had to change the time I am attending the university my original acceptance letter is buono per niente! I've requested another letter, but at the same time I'm leaving Sydney in just over 5 weeks so I'll have probably no chance of seeing my updated letter to get a study visa. Best of luck to you though. Italian bureacracy can be a killer, but amazingly it manages to get the job done.
A tutti, vive la vita dolce quando in Italia. That's the reason we're going isn't it?
Ci vediamo,
Paolo
Posts: 15 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 06 September 2006
Paolo, you say that Italian bureaucracy can be a killer, but amazingly it manages to get the job done. I certainly hope so. The italian consul in Perth sent some correspondence to the comune di Siderno in May asking them to register me as an italian citizen so I can apply for an italian passport. I have had a name change by deed poll of my christian name and so they also asked if they could change this at the same time. All these months later and the consul has not even had a reply to their correspondence.
I had a friend in Siderno who went into the comune about 5 times and was not given much help. My friend was given the name of the signora who handles these things but she was never there and no one knew when she would be. I sent the comune an email a few days ago marked to the attention of this signora asking them to ignore the request for a name change and just register me with the name on the birth certificate and I have not received a reply. They have opened the email.
I forgot to say that in Italy a name change happens in the civil courts and can take months.
The consul in Perth cannot issue me with a passport as they have a choice of three names I could be registered under. Confusing? The name on the birth certificate was spelt incorrectly (one name) and the consul asked if they could change it to the correct spelling (second choice) or they could use my current name (there - three choices)
We are leaving on the 8th of October and I am about to give up. I did not want to make a fuss with the italian consul as I was afraid if they knew how disorganised and unhelpful the comune was they may not give my children their passports. We collect the children's passports on Friday so I will consider what to do then.
My friend in Siderno has gone to Florence for a couple of weeks and my cousin has a terminal illness so I don't want to bother him. Any suggestions on what I can do?
uuummmmmm, the only thing I can suggest is to keep hassling the consulate. I just had the University email the consulate in Sydney informing them officially that I will be attending Uni from the 2nd to the 30th of November this year. Now I have to go back on Tuesday morning and ensure that this document is enough to get my Study visa. If not, I have to try and get an Italian passport from my wife, who still is an Italian citizen. God know's how long that will take!
As for your situation, besides "bribing", you might want to contact someone at the Sydney Consulate. Her name is Mirella on (02) 9392 7909. I know Mirella's sister from the Dante Alighieri Society in Sydney (my Italian school) and, although I can't promise you that she can physically assist you, I'm sure she can at least provide some proper advice as to what your options are. Her hours are from 9am to 1pm Sydney time. However, these consulate people seem to be in a world of their own.
I don't want to sound optomistic but there have been a few Australian ladies who have gone to Italy on various visa but have loved the place so much they have stayed there (illegally). What they wrote in their books, and if I am wrong I'm more than happy to be corrected, is that if you travel out of Italy with an expired visa and then try to get back in, you will be caught at the border. However, if your visa expires but you do leave the borders then the bureaucracy won't do anything to find you (as oppose to Mr Ruddock's team in Australia). In other words, the ladies were living and working in Italy illegally and the Italian government did nothing to try and find them (reference the book "When in Rome...").
You've stated that you're going overseas for 6 months and for some of those months you'll be in Italy, so I take it that you will be leaving the borders and possibly coming back. If you don't get your visa in Australia you might have to try getting it when your over there, whether you're in Perugia or Siderno. I know it's a pain and that when you're on holidays you should be relaxing and taking it easy, but doing the right thing (which most Italians I know unfortunately don't, but that's just their southern circumstances) might be a little time consuming. It is a shame though (how does one get a job there?).
Dear Valda
Thanks alot for the travel tip. I'll keep it in mind when I'm over there for when I'm travelling. If you have any more travel tips please keep me informed.
Ciao ciao,
Paolo
Posts: 15 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 06 September 2006
I finally got in touch with Francesco. I told him I got his number through you. Again, thank you so much for giving me that info, it really helps...especially with how long it takes to get the confirmation...I'm considering going without a Visa and just getting a PdiS for tourists.
