Studying It

Nubre – Final exhibition in Cairo We have been telling a while ago about the marvellous project that is going on in Egypt. And now we can invite you to the final exhibition!!!   I Contemporary designs by Egyptian students in a European-Egyptian exhibition in Cairo  An exhibition featuring innovative jewellery pieces will open from 9 to 12 May in Cairo. This exhibition is the first of a series of exhibitions between Cairo and Aswan to showcase the designs of 45 Egyptian students who took place in an initiative by Azza Fahmy Jewellery co-funded by the European Union (EU). Nubre, which means design in the Nubian language, is the first private sector initiative to support students with passion for design. It was launched initially with the core purpose of enforcing a “design culture” in Egypt and creating a bridge between local and European students. The most significant outcome of this project is that the students would get the opportunity to showcase their talents by exhibiting their work to the public. Moreover, the Azza Fahmy Foundation will also offer the best students the opportunity to work on Azza Fahmy future design projects, in addition to multiple financial prizes and recognition. Prior [...] Read More →

A new master of furniture design to be offered at The Florence Institute in Italy Read More →

Liquid Lab 9 to 12 May 2012 ‪ Former Prison Murate Florence 4 days of interactive workshops meetings conferences and exhibitions open to ideas and projects in the head who has a better future On days 9 to 12 May 2012, IED Florence invites students, high school graduates and young creative design enthusiasts, advertising, communication and creativity in all its forms to a series of workshops and exhibitions organized in the event LIQUID . lab music, visual arts, graphics, multimedia. PROGRAM: WORKSHOP – May 9, 2012 “Green Fiorenza_come design the perfect green city” edited by James Salizzoni in collaboration with IED Florence Wednesday, May 9th – 15:30 to 18:30 c / o The Walled – the Walled Square, Florence Workshop participants are invited to imagine a very particular vision of the city of Florence, which will be represented through the use of different plants and natural elements arranged as buildings: flowers and herbs will be the terrain of the city itself and together with small characters and a view of Brunelleschi’s dome, reinforcing the symbolic call for the design of the garden city ideal. The photographs will be taken to freeze the finished work this vision, a little ‘utopian’ Green [...] Read More →

If you enjoy writing poetry and you are enamored of the Italian language and culture, don’t miss the opportunity to win a free course of Italian language in Italy. To participate, enter a poem on the topic IMPRESSIONS/EXPRESSIONS to the poetry contest organized by the Language School IL FARO for a chance to win a two-week language course in the beautiful sea-town of Caorle (near Venice). The authors of the two most notable Italian poems will win a two-week free* course at the School IL FARO for the summer 2012+. Send your poem on the topics IMPRESSIONS/EXPRESSIONS to : unditonellocchio@gmail.com (closing date 24 March 2012) To be eligible to participate you need to be 18 or older Not a native speaker of Italian living outside of Italy All poetry will be published in our blog “Un dito nell’occhio”. The winners will be announced on 4 April 2012. In bocca al lupo! *The prize covers exclusively the cost of the course. Accommodation and travelling are not included. + The winners may select a course between 11 June 2012 and 28 September 2012 Read More →

Weekly Budget Plan Making a budget plan helps you in handling money well.  Expenses to be included are rent, meals, books, supplies, entertainment, excursions, and emergency fund.  While you are studying in Italy, there are some good ways that will help you keep your costs down.  For example, walk when you can, shop and cook your meals rather than eating out often, share an apartment and your room with other students, plan ahead for your trips and save on train tickets (Eurostar tickets are cheaper when you buy in advance).  Remember to record your expenses and review it weekly to make sure you are following your budget plan.  Photo by Gap Travel Europe International Student ID card This student card saves you a lot of money while travelling abroad.  You can get discounts on train, plane, ferry tickets and hotels.  You can also use it when you exchange foreign currency.  You can purchase this card via www.isic.org/ Bus Passes Transportation in Italy is quite good.  Trains are on time and buses are mostly on time.  Get a monthly bus pass or a metro pass saves money.  Taxi costs are expensive and so it is worth getting monthly passes for transportation.  Walking is [...] Read More →

Calling home when you arrive Italy International Call Centers Using international call centers to call your home country is the easiest way to speak to your family as soon as you arrive in Italy.  Many call centers are located in the center of every major city in Italy.  Cost to the U.S.A. is usually .10 cents per minute.  The prefix to call the USA is 001+area code+number. Cell Phones If you plan on being in Italy for several months, it is better to buy a cell phone.  Telephone calls are expensive in Italy.  You should compare different service providers and then decide which one is reasonable for you.  Cell phone providers are Vodafone, Tim, and Wind.  A good benefit about cell phones in Italy is that incoming calls are free!  Only outgoing calls are charged.  The provider will also give you a good rate to call your home country depending on the kind of program you choose. Once you buy a cell phone, you will need to purchase a ‘ricarica’ card of your chosen provider in order to have minutes to make phone calls.  These cards range from costing 5 euro to 50 euro and you can buy these at any Tabacchi shop. USA [...] Read More →

Italy has been a beautiful destination for many Hollywood movies including classic films such as Roman Holiday, Cleopatra, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Ben Hur, A Room with a View and later The Godfather, The Bourne Identity, The English Patient, The Passion of Christ, and Under the Tuscan Sun. Recent movies taken in Italy were Angels and Demons, Hannibal, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Thanks to sekritgf for these wonderful scenes from Under the Tuscan Sun You can visit the following lovely places that were film locations for many famous American movies: The Twilight Saga: New Moon – Montepulciano, Italy Hannibal – Florence and Sadinia Angels and Demons – Vatican city, Rome- the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo The Talented Mr. Ripley – Venice, Anzio, Palermo, Naples, Ischia, and Positano The Passion of the Christ – city of Matera in the Basilicata region Under the Tuscan Sun – Florence, Arezzo, Montepulciano, and Cortona The English Patient – Monastery in Sant’Anna Camprena near Pienza, Tuscany The Godfather – Sicilian towns of Savoca and Forza d’Agro outside of Taormina Upcoming films that are scheduled to be filmed in Italy soon are The Monster of Florence and Mel Gibson’s The Magnificent (on Lorenzo de Medici). Thanks to Viso Trailers for this great trailer from Angels and Demons Read More →

BANKING AND LOCAL CURRENCY Local Currency  The Italian unit of currency is the EURO ( €).  Bank notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500. They increase in size progressively according to the value and have different colors. There are 8 different coins which have a common European face and on the reverse, a different symbol representing the EU countries.  Check currency conversion websites for current rate of exchange.  Current exchange rate as of February 18th 2010 is €1=$1.38. Euro is the currency used in the following 11 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Banks generally offer the best exchange rates and charge a small commission. Many independent, non-bank exchange offices do not charge commission, but offer poorer rates of exchange.                                             ATM cards - You can withdraw money from your bank account at your home country by using your ATM card if your bank card has either Cirrus or Plus symbol. You can find a machine with the same symbols and be able to access funds from your CHECKING account. MasterCard-Visa - You can obtain a cash advance from your credit card at an ATM machine with the Visa or MC symbols if you have a PIN number.  If you [...] Read More →

PERMIT OF STAY (Permesso di Soggiorno) The Permit to Stay or the “Permesso di soggiorno” document is a legal document that the Italian government requires in order to document that you are in the country legally.  Once in Italy, it is mandatory that all students (EU and non-EU) apply for the “Permit of Stay” within 8 days of their arrival at the “Questura”, the Italian government office. The following documents will be needed to get your Permit of Stay: All Documents stamped by the Italian Consulate in your Country 4 identical passport size photos Proof of Health Insurance (see section below) 1 copy of your Passport 1 copy of your Student Visa 1 copy of your credit card A “Marca da bollo” Stamp (can be bought at a Tabacchi for € 14.62) Read More →