ENJOYING THE ITALIAN CULTURE

A large part of the pleasure of participating in Orvieto Musica is having the opportunity to "live" in Italy for three weeks. We at the festival will do everything we can to help you feel comfortable with and enjoy the culture -- from helping you shop, to recommending wines and restaurants, helping you plan your weekend travel and sightseeing, offering Italian language classes -- even encouraging you to seek out natural light in rehearsal rooms, and to notice architectural and historical detail.

Orvieto Musica observes the traditional Italian "riposo" every day -- an afternoon break of three hours in the schedule, for lunch, quiet activities and rest during the hottest part of the day. If you wish to continue your musical study during riposo, please plan to bring with you a practice mute, headphones or music for memorizing or quiet study.

TRAVEL TO ITALY

A valid passport is required.

No visa is required for United States citizens. Participants who are not U.S. citizens should check current visa requirements with the nearest Italian Consulate at least one month before departure.

No vaccinations are required in order to enter Italy or in order to re-enter the United States.

For students, an international student ID can be useful. Inquire about applying for an international ID at your school's student service center.

Specific information regarding customs regulations and duty-free limits may be found in travel guides such as "Let's Go, Italy" available in a general bookstore.

OM musicians will find that the least expensive air tickets are available before May 31 each year. When making flight arrangements, please plan to arrive at Rome's Leonardo DaVinci airport (also known as Fiumicino). Musicians can plan to take the train from the airport into Rome, changing for a train to Orvieto at Termini. OM also makes direct bus/van transportation from Fiumicino to Orvieto available free of charge. The Orvieto Musica bus/van will depart from Fiumicino for Orvieto on Sunday, June 22 at 4:00 p.m.

DEPARTING ITALY

Orvieto Musica participants often choose to remain in Italy or in Europe after the close of the festival. Orvieto Musica therefore makes no formal plans to provide transportation from Orvieto to Fiumicino at the close of the festival. Orvieto Musica participants and guests can reserve space on an OM van to Fiumicino which will depart Orvieto at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning, July 13 at an extra cost of $100 per person.

If you are planning to leave directly from Orvieto to travel to Fiumicino for your flight home, it is recommended that you book your departure from Fiumicino no earlier than noon on your day of departure. (Trains begin running from the center of Rome to the airport daily at 7:00 a.m. It is very expensive to take a taxi to the airport and hotel rooms near the airport are prohibitively high priced.)

Lodging is provided by Orvieto Musica in Orvieto beginning the night of Sunday, June 22 and ending the morning of Sunday, July 13. Participants who wish to stay longer in Orvieto can reserve rooms independently at local hotels in Orvieto.

WHAT TO BRING

Money:

Traveller's checks and some U.S. cash, in case of an emergency. Generally speaking, the best exchange rates are found by withdrawing directly from ATM machines. If you intend to use your bank card to withdraw Euros from ATM machines in Orvieto, please make sure that your PIN number is 4-digits.

American Express, Diner's Club, Visa and Mastercard are honored in most restaurants, hotels and banks in Orvieto. (Many train stations in smaller towns accept only cash.)

Dress:

Everyday dress:
Lightweight, easily washable, permanent press clothing; comfortable shoes and/or sandals. If you plan to visit churches, please remember that many do not allow sleeveless tops, miniskirts or shorts. Bring a sweater and/or jacket as temperatures fall every evening.

Concert dress:

Instrumentalists -- Women: full length, all-black gown or black dress blouse and pants, black shoes. Men: black turtleneck shirt, black trousers, black shoes.

Vocalists -- Women: full length, all-black gown or black dress blouse and pants, black shoes. Optional: full length evening dress for art song performances. Men: black tuxedo.

If you enjoy swimming please note that there is a public pool which is accessible on weekends, about 20 minutes from Orvieto. Swimming caps are required for swimming in the public pool.

Miscellaneous:

Participants are encouraged to bring extra music for casual reading or study, although Orvieto Musica retains the right to assign and approve all music studied, coached and performed during the festival.

Please bring a portable music stand.

The electrical current in Italy is AC and the cycle is 50. The prongs of the plugs are round, and the voltage is 240. YOU MAY NEED AN ADAPTOR.

Participants may like to bring small appliances such as hair dryers, razors and perhaps a small fan. There is no air conditioning in the residence or in most places in Orvieto. Large appliances such as large fans, hot plates or other cooking appliances may not be used.

The mid-day Italian sun can be intense and you are likely to encounter hungry Orvietani mosquitoes. Please bring insect repellent and/or mosquito netting, if you think the mosquitoes will be bothersome. Please also consult your doctor about possible remedies for bug bite reactions. (We have found that Avon's "Skin So Soft" lotion works wonders to relieve itching after these particular Orvietani mosquito bites!)

Be sure to bring any medications or allergy pills which you will require.

OTHER INFORMATION

Correspondence:

Mail delivery between Orvieto and the United States requires 7 to 10 business days. Participants will be e-mailed the Orvieto Musica post office box number on June 20, 2008. Mail to OM participants should be addressed:

c/o Lenora Clayton, Administrator
Orvieto Musica, Inc.
P.O. Box ??
05018 Orvieto, Italy

Telephone numbers in Orvieto often change from year to year. Contact numbers will be e-mailed to participants on June 20, 2008. Orvieto is six hours later than Eastern Standard time in the United States.

There are two internet cafes in Orvieto, and two wireless internet cafes. These cafes are used by the entire populace of Orvieto, so please know that availability will be limited. You may want to advise your e-mail correspondents that you will be taking a "vacation" from the internet!

International phone cards purchased in the United States (AT&T and Sprint, for example) often do not work in Orvieto. It is recommended that participants wait until their arrival in Orvieto to purchase local international phone cards. Orvieto Musica staff can help participants call their families from the airport upon their arrival in Italy if so desired.

Miscellaneous:

The following is Orvieto Musica's refund policy for emergency cancellations:

Cancellation notification by May 1, 2008:	Forfeit deposit
Cancellation notification by June 1, 2008:	Forfeit 50% total paid
Cancellation after June 1, 2008:	No refund

Commercial laundry and dry cleaning are expensive. Participants may wish to do their every-day laundry by hand (with Woolite) to dry in the warm Italian sun!

For further information, please call your local Italian Consulate. (1-800-347-1997, the Federal Information Center of the USA).

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