Booking Your Flight
Getting Over There and Getting Back: Before Tour and After Tour Planning
Arrive no later than 10:00 am at Rome's Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on May 14, 2010. This means you have to depart the United States on May 13, 2010. Fiumicino Airport is also known as Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
For your return flight, schedule to depart no earlier than 10:00 am on May 28, 2010.
Fiumicino Airport (FCO)
Making Your Flight Reservations
The airport to fly into and out of is Rome's Fiumicino Airport (FCO), which is also known as Leonardo da Vinci Airport. There are other airports in Rome, so be sure to choose the right one. Arrive no later than 10:00 am on May 14, 2010. This means you have to depart the United States on May 13, 2010.
The bus to the villa in Reggello (Casa Cares) will leave from the Rome Airport at 11:00 am going to Casa Cares on May 14, 2010 returning from Casa Cares to the Rome Airport on May 28, 2010.
Most flights from the United States arrive in Rome early in the morning. So, the bus will depart for Casa Cares from the Rome airport at 11:00 am on Friday, May 14, 2010. Plan to arrive at the Rome airport no later than 10:00 am that day. Remember, your flight from the United States will depart on May 13 and arrive in Rome on May 14.
If your flight is scheduled to arrive prior to 10:00 am on May 14, but is delayed, you will be given telephone numbers to call to inform institute leaders of your situation. If you will arrive substantially late, the bus to Casa Cares will depart with the other participants and an institute faculty member will stay behind and accompany you from Rome to Casa Cares by train. Unfortunately, you will have to pay extra for your train fare. A first class train ticket costs about $85.
The bus from Casa Cares to the Rome Airport will arrive at the airport at 8:00 am on Friday, May 28, 2010. Therefore, your return flight should leave no earlier on that day than 10:00 am. There will be plenty of flights leaving Rome's Fiumicino Airport 10:00 am or later on May 28. Do not book a flight that leaves before 10:00 am. It is a four-hour bus ride from Casa Cares to the Rome airport. The bus will leave Casa Cares at 4:00 am on May 28, which means it will arrive at the airport around 8:00 am. Airlines insist you arrive for international flights at least two hours in advance, so the earliest flight you can make on May 28 will be at 10:00 am.
If you have to book a flight that leaves before 10:00 am, book it for the next day, May 29, and plan to stay at a hotel in or near the airport the evening of May 28. If you have to take a flight the next day on May 29, there is a Hilton hotel (Hilton Rome Airport Hotel) where a single room is about $170 a night. There are less expensive hotels near the airport that have free or low cost shuttle service to/from the airport. A less expensive hotel which is located a couple of blocks from the beach in Fiumicino and a few miles from the airport is the Best Western Hotel Riviera whose web site is http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/hotelrivierafiumicino.en.html .
Purchasing Your Airline Ticket
Shop around on the Internet to find a good fare. In years past, participants have paid fares ranging from $700 to $1,200. In 2009, there were airline fare sales that began around February. However, airline flight prices vary from day to day and sales can't be counted on or predicted. Usually, the closer to the date of departure, the more an airline ticket costs. Purchase your ticket as soon as you can to get the best itinerary and deal.
If You Want to Stay in Rome for a Few Days before or after the Institute...
Casa Valdese is a hotel run by the same organization that owns Casa Cares. It's a moderately priced hotel that is located close to the subway and the Vatican. A room for two is about $175 a night and single rooms cost from $75 to $135 a night (the cheaper exterior rooms are fine). Casa Valdese has only a few rooms during the late May time period, so if you want to stay there before or after our stay at Casa Cares, book your rooms right away. Visit this web site (and click on the British flag at the bottom for information in English):
Other Hotels in Rome near Casa Valdese
· Hotel Gerber
Via degli Scipioni, 241 - 00192 ROMA - ITALIA
Tel. 06/3219986 - 3216485 - 321001
FAX 06/3217048
e-mail:info@hotelgerber.it
web:www.hotelgerber.it
· NH Hotels Leonardo da Vinci
Via dei Gracchi, 324 - 00192 ROMA
Tel +39 06.328481
Fax +39 06.3610138
email: mailto:jhromaleonardodavinci@nh-hotels.com
web: http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh