About Roma
Weather
The weather in April is usually mild, with a temperature of 15-20 °C during daytime. Rain is possible (21 mm/month on the average). On Thursday 12 April 2007, the sunrise is at 6:37 and the sunset at 19:46 (daylight saving time). Rome is on Central European Time (GMT +1). Five-day weather forecast is available on CNN.
Currency
The Italian currency is the Euro (€, EUR). The following approximate conversion rates hold on 12 February 2007: 1 EUR = 1.29 USD = 157.75 JPY = 0.66 GBP. For other currency rates and/or updates, see, e.g., www.oanda.com. Currency exchange can be made in banks and exchange booths in the city center, airports, train stations and tourist areas. Italian banking hours are from Monday to Friday, 8:30-13:30 and 15:00-16:00.
Electricity
The main voltage in Italy is 220 V, 50 Hz. Sockets typically mate with the "europlug" (the CEE 7/16 plug, ungrounded and with two round prongs).
Transportation
Taxi
Public taxis are white, with a code and the sign of the city of Roma on the doors, and with a taximeter. Do not trust people who approach you offering private taxi service. In the city center there are a number of taxi parkings, like in Piazza Venezia (close to the Angelicum conference site), Piazza della Repubblica, Largo Argentina, and Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps). A taxi can be called at the following telephone numbers: 063570, 064994, 065551. In this case, note that the taximeter is turned on when the taxi picks up the call. A taxi ride from the Angelicum to Piazza di Spagna costs around 8,00 Euro.
Public transportation
Public transportation by bus or subway is handled by the city of Rome, see www.atac.roma.it for maps and schedules.
There are two subway (metro) lines, crossing at Termini central railway station. The Metro A line (Anagnina-Battistini) operates from 5:30 to 21:00 and the Metro B line (Laurentina-Rebibbia) operates from 5:30 to 23:30 (0:30 on Saturdays). Both lines run every 3-4 minutes in rush hours, every 5-6 minutes during the day, and every 8-10 minutes in early morning and late evening. Bus lines operate from 6:00 to midnight, with many night lines.
The same ticket can be used for bus and metro lines. Available tickets are:
- BIT (time ticket): 1,00 Euro. Multiple trips on all bus lines and one trip on metro lines within 75 minutes from ticket validation.
- BIG (daily ticket): 4,00 Euro. Unlimited trips on all bus and metro lines, valid until midnight of the day on which the ticket is validated.
- BTI (three days ticket): 11.00 Euro. Valid 3 days on all bus and metro lines.
- CIS (weekly ticket): 16,00 Euro. Valid 7 days on all bus and metro lines.
Tickets can be bought at ATAC counters, newsstands, bars, tobacco shops, and from automatic ticket dispensers, but not on board. Tickets must be validated at the beginning of the first trip at any metro station or on the bus.
For visiting purposes, there are two interesting options:
- Special lines: the 110 open stop&go bus (13,00 Euro for the whole day) and the stop&go Archeobus (8,00 Euro for the whole day), see www.trambusopen.com for details.
- Roma Pass Card: 20,00 Euro for a 3-day transport pass, free entrance to 2 museums and reductions for all other museums. On sale at Tourist Information Points and museums, see www.romapass.it.
Download the ATAC bus map of the city center.
Download the full Metro map or see the restricted map below. Relevant metro stations are:
- Termini (A and B lines): central railway station
- Cavour (B line): closest station to the Angelicum University (main conference site) and the School of Engineering (tutorials and workshops site)
- Cipro (A line): Vatican Museums
- Spagna (A line): downtown shopping area
Shopping
The streets of the historical centre of Rome host high-fashion shops of Italy's foremost creators. One of the best areas for shopping, or window-shopping, is around the Spanish Steps (Via Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina). Art galleries are everywhere, but special locations are in Via del Babuino and Via Margutta. Artisan shops, studios and boutiques can be found all around the Pantheon, Campo de' Fiori, and Piazza Navona, while Via Giulia and Via dei Coronari are known for their antiquity shops. Shops are mostly open non-stop from 9:30 to 19:30 (or with a break from 13:00 to 15:30). Many hints and guides are available on the web, with entry points like europeforvisitors.com or www.travelplan.it.
Emergency phone numbers
Free numbers from any telephone, including cellular phones.
| 112 | Carabinieri |
|---|---|
| 113 | Police |
| 115 | Fire Department (Vigili del Fuoco) |
| 118 | First Aid ambulance |
Wiki site on ICRA'07 and Rome
You can share your suggestions and hints about Rome and ICRA'07 with all perspective conference attendees through the wiki site brought to you by the RAS Student Activities Board. While the official information source on ICRA'07 events is the ICRA'07 website, the RAS wiki site is a novel place where to exchange also informal news.