AFTER ARRIVAL
REGISTERING AT THE CITY COUNCIL OFFICES OR THE POLICE STATION
Incoming Erasmus students who belong to a European Union country (or Swiss citizens or citizens belonging to countries in the European Economic Space i.e. Norway, Iceland and Liechenstein) may stay in Italy for up to three months without registering.
Students who spend longer than three months in Italy must register at the anagraphical office of the city council where they are staying and obtain a stay permit for study purposes. Students will need to demonstrate sufficient economical resources for their stay in Italy and their student status at a public Institution or a recognized private Institution. They will also need to be in possession of health insurance or hold a health care card such as the E106, E120, E121 (or E33), E 109 (or E37). Students can apply for a permit for study purposes at the city council’s Ufficio Stranieri. This office is in Via Roma, n. 20 (palazzo Del Tosto), tel. 0039 (0)862 645433 and is open from 9.00 to 12.00 Tuesday and Thusdays. Upon registration the student will be issued a receipt and given an appointment for the completion of the registration process.
Students belonging to countries that are not yet members of the European Union and intending to stay for less than 3 months must register at the Ufficio Stranieri of the local police station (Questura). The Questura’s offices are in Via Strinella n. 2 (near the city’s football central stadium) tel. 0039 (0)862 430525 and are open from 9.00 to 13.00 every day except Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Students must register within 8 days of entry into Italy. Students wishing to spend more than three months in Italy must obtain a permit for study purposes (a permesso di soggiorno). This can be obtained by filling in a form (Modello 209) from the post office. Students must fill in the form and hand it back into an authorized post office within 8 days of arrival. An authorized post office can be found opposite the Academy in Via Leonardo da Vinci n.9. The Post Office then sends the form to the appropriate permit issuing office. At the Post Office students will be asked to provide identification and fill in a form for the payment of €. 27.50 for the permit and a further €30.00 to cover the costs of the service. The Post Office will issue a receipt which must be kept safely as proof of posting. The procedure is the same for students wishing to renew their stay permit.
Students will then be summoned to their local Police station by sms and letter (recorded delivery); their photo will be taken and they will be issued with an electronic version of their permit.
Free assistance in applying for permits is available from the city council and/or other associated offices such as the ACLI, in Via ed Arco dei Francesi, which is open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 13.00 and Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 16.30 to 18.30.
More information concerning the above can be obtained from the web site www.portaleimmigrazione.it. which gives general information about permits, councils and offices offering free advice and Post Offices authorized to accept permit requests. This site also allows you to track the progress of your permit using the access code printed on the receipt issued by the post office. You can also get general information concerning permit procedures, city councils and authorized offices by telephoning the free phone line 800309309; addresses of authorized Post Offices can be obtained by phoning the free phone line 803160
REGISTERING AT THE ACCADEMY
Incoming students must register at the Academy’s International Relations Office by appointment. Student will be asked to fill out all of the forms necessary for enrolment. The certificate attesting the length of the study period will bear the date of registration at the Academy. The same date will be used to confirm arrival in the host Institute, if required.
After registration and enrolment, guest students are issued with an Erasmus student card. This card entitles them to all of the benefits that the Institute’s students enjoy including use of the student’s dining facilities run by the local Regional Agency as well as free entry into museums.
STUDY PROGRAMME, COURSE REGISTRATION, LEARNING AGREEMENT AND FINAL CERTIFICATES
When registering at the Institute, incoming Erasmus students are told how they can sign up for individual courses. All of the opportunities open to Erasmus students are explained in an Orientation meeting and individual advice can be given on the basis of the Learning Agreement established before arrival. Students are given ample time (usually a month) to evaluate the range of courses on offer and can attend courses that are not listed in their Learning Agreement. After this period students can propose a final study programme which will be evaluated by the Academy’s Erasmus Coordinator and if approved these changes can be made to the initial Learning Agreement which will then be sent to the student’s home University for final approval. Students may only sit the end of course exams if they have attended all of the lessons. Students who have not attended the entire course are not entitled to sit the end of course exam and will only receive credits for the proportion of work done. The academic evaluation of the number of credits earned and the right to sit the end of course exams is established by the course teachers who keep written records of course attendance etc.
At the end of the study period, incoming students are issued an official certificate recording the length of their studies and a transcript of their results. These documents are issued in person or sent by post and a second copy is sent to the student’s Erasmus Office.
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HEALTH CARE
Upon arrival, Erasmus students from countries belonging to the European Union may register with a doctor for free medical assistance for the entire period of their stay in L’Aquila. All of the information necessary for registering can be obtained from the Local Health Service in Piazzale di Collemaggio who provide a list of doctors with whom patients can register, and their contact details. Patients have to pay a “ticket”, for specialist visits, and diagnostic and hospital services. This “ticket” is a contribution to the cost of the service and services will be provided on exhibition of the European Health Card.
Students belonging to non-European countries ( who therefore do not hold a European Health Card) may also register for a doctor and the services mentioned above. Before registering however they need to make a payment of €149.77 at the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, in Piazza Duomo in the centre of the city. They may then register as above, presenting the receipt for this payment along with a copy of their study permit and the certificate proving their Erasmus status, issued by the Academy. Registration is valid until the end of the year the payment was made (not the academic year). Hence in some cases it might not be advisable for students to register towards the end of the year, especially as some services are at extra cost. Students may wish to consider taking out personal insurance that covers the costs of health services for their stay abroad , particularly non-EC students who do not intend to register with the Local Health System.
Students are nevertheless reminded to follow the procedures set out in the first paragraph concerning registration.
ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES
Students who applied to follow an Italian Language Course prior to their arrival will be given information by the Academy concerning the assessment test, start dates etc. upon arrival. The courses are run by the central University’s Linguistic Centre and students are divided up according to level. Courses are usually held in the Autumn and Winter semesters, the former starting in October and the latter in February. The International Relations Office is unable to provide a calendar for these courses until the central University establishes course dates and communicates this information to the Academy.
The courses are held at the University’s Linguistic Centre:
Address : Via Assergi n. 6 – 67100 L’Aquila – Italia
tel. 0039 0862 432401-02-03 e-mail: cling@cc.univaq.it
STUDENT DINING FACILITIES
Guest students who wish to use the dining facilities run by the Azienda per il Diritto agli Studi Universitari must ask the Academy’s International Relations Office for a card giving them access. One of the dining halls is situated in the centre of the city in Via XX Settembre nn. 46/52. Students are required to show the card issued by the Academy’s International Relations Office before entering. A full meal currently costs € 1.86 (drinks excluded) whilst a smaller meal costs € 1.24 (drinks excluded
ACCOMODATION
Once students have found lodgings they may apply in writing to the Academy’s International Relations Office, for a grant towards the cost of accommodation for their Erasmus stay. This request must be accompanied by the student’s bank details before the end of his/her stay and will only be granted if sufficient funds are available from the Azienda Regionale per il Diritto agli studi Universitari, for the academic year in question. If funds are available, students will receive a monthly grant for half their accommodation costs up to a maximum of 100 euros per month, for a maximum of 10 months. The Agency responsible for awarding grants, releases funds at the end of the academic year and so the money received is actually a reimbursement rather than a grant. Students wishing to receive a reimbursement must present the following documents to the Academy’s International Relation’s Office:
- a completed grant request form;
- a copy of the rent contract registered at the local tax office (Agenzia delle entrate);
- Copies of receipts for rent payments.
The cost of registering the rent contract is approximately 2% of the total cost of the monthly rent in addition to tax, currently € 10,33.
BANK SERVICES AND PERSONAL TAX CODE NUMBERS
Students can open a bank account to deposit and withdraw money at any of the banks in the city. However they will need to obtain a personal tax code number from the Imposte Dirette di L’Aquila, in Via Filomusi Guelfi. A personal tax code number is a personal identification number which can be used/required for a variety of situations including the opening of a bank account. When opening an account, students may also need to demonstrate their permit (if they have one) and a certificate proving their Erasmus student status.
LIFE IN THE CITY
Living in L'Aquila ( www.laquila.com) is decidedly easy given it’s relatively small size and the low cost of living with respect to larger cities. Being a fairly quiet city,it also easier to get through all of the red tape necessary for settling here and getting on with every day life.
L’Aquila is however a mountain city and students are advised to bring suitable clothing: winters can be extremely cold whilst the summers, reasonably hot; the atmosphere is dry and very rarely humid.
L’Aquila is made up of a historical centre and an extensive periphery extending to smaller villages on its outskirts, and offers all of the services one would expect from a city of this size. The centre is linked to peripheral areas by an extensive system of public transport which runs till the evening. The Academy is 2 km from the historical centre and is served by a regular bus service (bus no. 77). Information concerning bus services and timetables can be obtained from the site www.amaaq.191.it. The journey from the city centre to the Academy takes approximately 20 minutes and the cost of a one way ticket is currently 1 euro; a monthly ticket covering all bus routes currently costs 22.40 euros whilst an annual ticket costs 161.00 euros but it cannot be used on Sundays and is only valid for the academic year from September to June. Monthly and yearly passes can be purchased at the Centro Turistico Gran Sasso, in Piazza Battaglione Alpini, next to the Fontana Luminosa - a passport photo is needed
The historical centre is obviously more livelier than the outskirts especially in the evenings. Students, who number 20,000 between the central University, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Music Academy, tend to meet in the numerous pubs and bars of the city centre as do the Erasmus students from differing countries.
The following pages provide useful information concerning free time activities and web site addresses for those interested in staying in L’Aquila.
FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
The Academy’s Erasmus students can take part in the activities organized by the central University for Erasmus students. Information concerning these activities can be obtained from the International Relations Office itself or by email from
MUSIC,THEATRE, CINEMA
L’Aquila offers a variety of cultural entertainment for students:
Music
The musical season in L’Aquila is considered among the best in Italy. Musical institutions of note include the “Barattelli”, “ I Solisti Aquilani” and the ”istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese”.
Theatre
The city offers an intense season of theatrical performances and students can take advantage of the discounts available to them for theatre tickets and season tickets. In addition, the Academy often receives a number of tickets allowing students free entry into performances by the Teatro Stabile d’Abruzzo; these tickets are distributed on a rotation basis by the Student’s secretarial office.
The city’s main theatre ( Teatro Comunale) is the seat of the Teatro Stabile d’Abruzzo who produce performances on a national level. There are also two smaller theatres “San Filippo” and “Sant’Agostino”, in addition to the Academy’s own theatre offering performances of cultural note.
Cinema
There are two multiview cinemas in the city, one 10 minutes from the centre and the other opposite the Academy. There is also a smaller cinema, “Don Bosco”, which offers an interesting and varied programme of films.
Sightseeing
Besides the sightseeing in L’Aquila, students can easily visit the sights, exhibitions and museums of the capital city. Coaches depart for Rome nearly every hour and the journey takes approximately 2 hours. The coach website link is: linee regionali ARPA
Eating and free time
Erasmus students usually meet up on Thursday evenings (university evenings) in the city centre to share news, talk about their experiences and organize their free time.
USEFUL LINKS
Below are a series of useful links for Erasmus students (web pages and/or telephone numbers ):
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