Information for participants

The Middle Ages in the Modern World – Rome

Information for Participants, 18 November 2018

Paper length & session times

A friendly reminder: Twenty minutes is the maximum time allotted for the delivery of each paper. Please be considerate of your colleagues and session chair, and keep your presentation safely within the allotted time. The only exceptions are in pre-formed panels of four papers, where each paper will necessarily be shorter (fifteen minutes). These limits are essential to allow sufficient time for questions and discussion.

Please arrive at your session at least fifteen minutes before it is scheduled to begin, and bring all media files that you need to project on a flash drive. Downloading files from the internet will not be possible. Some venues (e.g. Palazzo Altemps) have no internet connection, and so we advise against including hyperlinks or other elements that require connecting to the web.

Conference locations

All venues are in the center of Rome, within easy walking distance of one another.

Wed, Nov. 21st

Thurs., Nov. 22nd

Fri. and Sat., Nov. 23rd-24th

All of the conference venues are heated, but Roman interiors tend to be somewhat cooler than their counterparts in Northern Europe and America, even if the weather outside is warmer. This will be especially true in the magnificent Teatro of Palazzo Altemps. For maximum comfort, we advise dressing ‘a cipolla,’ (onion style), meaning in layers.

Registration packets and conference badges will be available at our welcome desk at the following times and locations. We would be grateful if you could check in at your earliest convenience.

Wed., Nov. 21st, 15:00-17:15: John Cabot University – Guarini Campus, Via della Lungara, 233

Thurs., Nov. 22nd, 8:45-18:30: École française de Rome, Piazza Navona, 62

Fri.-Sat., Nov. 23rd-24th, 8:45-18:30: John Cabot University – Guarini Campus, Via della Lungara, 233

 Please bring an official photo ID issued by a governmental agency (e.g. passport or identity card), in addition to your conference badge, to all sessions and events. Please also leave large backpacks, bags, or suitcases at your lodgings. Some venues will not permit you to enter with them, and none have lockers or other storage facilities.

Inaugural cocktail

Registered MAMO participants attending Salvatore Settis’s lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 21st, are cordially invited to attend the reception afterward (19:30-21:00) hosted by the French Ambassador to Italy.

Book Fair

On Friday and Saturday, there will be a book fair in room GG1 at John Cabot University, from 8:45 to 18:30, next to the Aula Magna Regina. Representatives of ARC Humanities Press, Carocci Editore, Gangemi Editore, and Viella will be present, with displays and books. Materials will also be available from Boydell & Brewer.

Lunch and Coffee Breaks

Lunch breaks are free form—that is, lunch is on your own. If you are looking for good, inexpensive food and drink near the conference venues, the streets around (but not on) the main piazzas are your best bets. Coffee will be on offer during the Thursday morning coffee break at the École française de Rome and during Friday and Saturday morning and afternoon coffee breaks just outside the Aula Magna at John Cabot University.

Printing

Our hosting venues do not have printing facilities for conference participants. Fortunately, there are many copy shops in the center of Rome, including:

Centro Copisteria, Via Arenula 19, Tel. +30 06 68307360

Ponte Sisto Grafica Stampa e Cartoleria, Via delle Zoccolette, 25, Tel. +30 066868444

Xseromania, Viale di Trastevere, 125, +339 06 5817506

Rome’s Starlings, or why to carry your umbrella on a rainless evening

If you are walking along the Tiber River or in other treed areas at dusk or after dark, you may wish to open your umbrella, even if the skies are cloudless. In autumn, tens of thousands of starlings (storni) swarm into the city to roost for the night. The swarms are spectacular and the birds harmless, but the little ‘gifts’ they drop from on high may complicate your evening.

SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE ABOUT MOVING AROUND ROME

Rome Metrobus System: buses, trams, metropolitana (underground/subway)

  • The Roman mass transit authority provides bus maps, arrival information, and a trip planner.
  • Before boardinga bus or tram you must purchase a ticket (un biglietto ‘metrobus’). Tickets are sold at newspaper kiosks, tabacconist shops (‘Tabacchi’; look for the white T on a black background), and in vending machines at metro stops. With the exception of a few trams and buses equipped with vending machines, tickets cannot be purchased on board. When you board a bus or tram, you must immediately validate the ticket in the machine near the front or back door. Controllers do spot checks, and the fines for non-validated tickets are steep. You will see some people boarding without validating. Many Romans have year-round subscriptions.
  • Roman buses, trams, and metros can be crowded. Be verycareful of your belongings, especially wallets and passports. Rome has a comparatively low violent crime rate, but the pickpockets are skilled. The metro system is limited, and buses can be slow. If you intend to use Roman mass transit, leave ample time.

Walking

Rome is very much a walker’s city, especially in the low-lying areas of the Campus Martius and Trastevere, where our conference venues are located. Depending on where you are lodging and which conference venue you are trying to reach, walking may be the most pleasant and time-effective option, either alone or in combination with buses and trams.

Taxis

We suggest that you take only official Rome white cabs with the ‘Comune di Roma’ logo on the exterior. When you board, be certain the taxi driver activates the taximeter, and let him or her know that you will need a receipt at the end. The taximeters are automatic once activated. Romans tend to tip taxi drivers minimally, at most by rounding up to the nearest whole euro. If you have any problems, make note of the driver’s name and taxi ID number on the inside of the taxi or the code on the exterior (usually a city name plus a number.) There are various ways to procure a taxi:

  • Go to ataxi stand. Drivers line up at spots marked with an orange ‘TAXI’ sign. Stands are located near most major monuments, at mass transit hubs, and in or near important piazzas. Those just to the north or south of Piazza Navona, at Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere, and at Piazza di Torre Argentina may be especially useful if you are departing from our conference venues.
  • Call or text for a taxi. If you are departing from a hotel, the concierge or doorman (portiere) can usually call for you. The driver will activate the meter as soon as the call or text message is received, and so you will pay more than if you board at a taxi stand. You can also call or message for a taxi yourself by dialing +39 060609 or sending a text message with the address you are departing from to +39 366 673 0000.Taxi apps, such as MyTaxi, may also be of help.
  • Hailing a moving taxisometimes works, but the drivers are not always able to stop in narrow or busy streets and will not stop if they are within eyeshot of a taxi stand.

Other options

We have not used these services, but you may wish to investigate them as alternatives.

  • Uber
  • Rome also has various car-sharing options, including car2go and enjoy. If you try car sharing, we aware that parking near our conference venues is very scarce.

Airport transfer

Here are a few options. This website provides further information.

  • From Fiumicino airport:metropolitan train to Trastevere, Ostiense, or other neighborhood where you are lodging; or special fast train to Termini train station. Buy your ticket from the newspaper seller or at the ticket vending machines, and validate it before boarding.
  • From Ciampino airport:bus shuttle services such as Terravision, etc., which can be booked online.
  • Official Rome city taxifrom the airport taxi stand. See link above under ‘Taxis’ for fare information.  There are fixed rates for transport from Fiumicino or Ciampino airports to locations within the Aurelian Wall.

Emergency Contacts for Italy:

Police: 112

General Emergency:  113

Fire: 115

Health emergencies: 118

 

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