Frequently Asked Questions

What Airport should be our final destination?

We would like everyone to fly into Bologna (BLQ).

How do we get to Urbino?

You will be met at the Bologna airport and taken to the train station where you will take a train from Bologna to Pesaro. At Pesaro you will be met and either put on a bus to Urbino or picked up by a faculty member.

When should we arrive in Bologna and Urbino?

You should plan on arriving on Saturday June 15th and checking into your room on that day. Remember that flights from the U.S. are overnight flights and you need to leave the U.S. on Friday the 14th.  If you can save a lot of money by leaving on Thursday it could be worth the hotel bill to spend Friday night at the Fly On Hotel close to the airport and then meet up with your group on Saturday.

Where will we live?

You will be housed in a double room in San Giovanni. The hotel provides breakfast Wi-Fi and air-conditioned rooms.

What about travel at the end of the program?

You will check out of your rooms on Saturday July 13th and if you are planning on returning to the U.S. on that day rather than spending more time in Italy or Europe, please arrange flights out of Bologna after 12PM. Travel time from Urbino to the Pesaro train station is about 45 minutes. Depending on what type of train you get, travel to Bologna could be one hour and fifteen minutes to two hours and another twenty minutes to the airport. You also have to arrive 2 hours before your flight. The buses don’t leave Urbino early enough to get you to the Airport before 12PM If you have a plane in the early morning you will have to leave Friday night and spend the night in a hotel.

What clothes should we bring?

There are four concerts with four different audiences and the women should bring one formal concert dress and the men should bring a dark suit, white shirt and tie for the concerts. The weather is usually hot during the day – 85 degrees or more and cooler at night. We find that the temperature can vary by 30 degrees over the month we are there so it is not entirely predictable. You will need casual clothes for everything except the concert. Bring bathing suits, sandals, blue jeans, tee shirts, shorts, a light sweater for cool evenings if necessary. There are washing machines available and so don’t bring too much because you will have to carry it.

What are the estimated daily costs of living?

The cost of lunches and dinners can vary depending on how you want to eat. In general 20 to 25 euros ($24 to $30) per day should be more than enough to get you a good lunch and dinner. For example: a sandwich for lunch and water for lunch will cost 5 euros: a pasta dish for lunch will cost about 8 euros. If you want a drink add 2 euros, coffee 1.5 euro, gelato 2.5 euros. Pizza for dinner can be bought by the slice or whole for 3 to 6 euros. A pasta dinner might cost 8-12 euros.

Are there any meals provided?

There is a picnic at Linda and Geoffs will be Sunday June 18th. There are four dinners provided before the four concerts. There is a cooking class following by dinner. The wine tour is followed by a dinner on the beach and finally there is a going away pizza party on Friday July 7th. So all in all, there are 8 dinners provided which does reduce the cost of your daily expenses.

What about cash, credit/debit cards and travelers checks?

When you arrive in Bologna you will need about 40 euros for lunch, a bus ticket and a train ticket and dinner. There are ATMs in Urbino and you get a much better exchange rate by using the ATMs and withdrawing cash on a debit card or using credit cards for purchases over 5 euros. Visa or Master Card are the preferred cards and American Express in not accepted by many shops. For debit and credit cards, you need a PIN with 4 numbers and please notify your bank the dates you will be traveling. If you want to bring U.S. dollars as an emergency currency, please bring $50 bills as $100 bills are not welcome because of counterfeiting issues. Traveler’s checks are not recommended or commonly used. Your bank in the U.S. will charge you a large fee to exchange dollars for euros so you are better off using a debit card. Credit cards charge a cash advance on any money taken out of an ATM.

When are the Cultural Events?

  • Sunday June 16th Picnic at Linda and Geoff’s Country Home
  • Saturday-Sunday June 22-23, Verona Opera;  Puccini’s Turandot
  • Friday June 28th – Winery Tour and dinner at Beach Side Restaurant
  • Monday July 8th – Pasta Making Class

Hotels in the City Center for Visitors