Accomodation and Travel - Prato

Visas:

All students will require a visa when travelling to Italy.

Students will be sent further information regarding visas closer to the time of travel.

Once you arrive in Italy, you must, within 8 days from your arrival, communicate your presence on Italian soil to the local Questura (police headquarters) and obtain a 'dichiarazione di presenza'.  You should at all times carry this document with you, together with an ID (a photocopy of the passport is sufficient).

Register your trip:

It is our suggestion that students travelling to Italy register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before travel.  The registration information provided by you will help find you in an emergency - whether it is a natural disaster, civil disturbance or a family emergency.  Registration

Accommodation:

Accommodation should NOT be booked before receiving confirmation from the Law Faculty that the timetables are finalised as dates and offerings may change.

Looking to share? Place your details on the Discussion Forum.
This discussion forum has been set up for students to email other students attending the program to organise to share accommodation.

For help with finding Prato (or even Florence) accommodation contact ASA in Armadale (Melbourne) at info@asatours.com.au
ASA can also arrange flights, health insurance and all usual travel agency services.

Students will have a realistic choice between living in Florence and living in Prato. It may also be possible to choose to live in a combination of both places. In the past the unavailability of furnished short term lets have meant that students have, for the most part, lived in Florence and the staff have lived in Prato. With the increase in student life in Prato, this situation has changed and students also have options in Prato.

Florence is a major international city.  English is widely spoken and students from the US, Europe and elsewhere choose to study there.  There is a limited but attractive nightlife.  The cultural attractions of the city- its museums, churches, public architecture, concerts, Serie A football etc are well known.  On the downside, there is the additional cost and inconvenience of transport, the overwhelming feeling (eventually) of living in a tourist centre and a feeling of some artificiality. Trains and buses run regularly between the two cities and depending on the route selected, and whether an express service is running, commuting time is between 20 - 45 minutes. The Prato campus is a 20 minute walk from the train/bus station.

Prato is a major industrial city though its historical centre, where the University is located, is much more a small village where merchants, inhabitants and visitors get to know each other.  Italian rather than English is the major language, though some English and a willingness to understand gestures, simple Italian and obvious requests overcomes the language problem.  There is a lively, though limited nightlife, a well equipped gym at a discount price to Monash students, and a well equipped commercial precinct together with the usual markets, concerts and architectural marvels. On the negative side (at least for some) not every restaurant or trattoria has an English language menu and some have no written menus at all. 

There are also fewer students living in Prato.  However, apartments recently built just minutes from the historical centre will help to change this. The purpose built student accommodation has places for approximately 45 students and offers either single places in a multi-share arrangement or you can book an entire apartment.  These apartments give you the opportunity to meet students from other faculties within Monash as well as with other law students from different countries (such as Canada and Israel) participating in the program.  For more information go to their website http://www.calamairiverside.com/

*Calamai Riverside are offering discounted rates on share accommodation and a free shuttle service to and from Florence in the evenings to participants of the Monash Prato Law Program.  Please contact Andrea at the Calamai Apartments for more information.  (Please note that conditions do apply to these offers.)

Each year many students rent apartments located from listings on the web.
Listed below are websites with accommodation options, some of which have been regularly used by students in the past.

Prato

http://www.calamairiverside.com/home.html

www.prato.turismo.toscana.it

http://www.lodgingmethod.com

Florence

www.italy-rentals.com
www.borgo-ognissanti.it
www.florenceandabroad.com
www.sleepinginflorence.com
www.logingmethod.com
www.florencetuscany.com
www.incentro.it

Some of our students have added information about their accommodation to give you a guide.