Rule #1 DO NOT overpack!

PACKING!

About a week after I got to Rome, I remember looking down at my suitcase, completely frusterated with myself because I had packed like I was going to live in Italy for a few years instead of just four months. This brings me to Rule #1: DO NOT over-pack. About a month before I started packing for Rome, I went to some travel websites to find out what all I should take. Every single website I went to told me to not over-pack. Of course, I ignored them thinking that they were only talking about a one to two week trip. Turns out, I was completely wrong. Hence why I have decided to dedicate this post to a topic that is sometimes boring but completely necessary to discuss if you are going to Italy for an extended period of time: packing.

(These packing tips apply to both guys and girls)

First off, luggage. Both guys and girls should use a backpack as their carry-on or put it in your suitcase; you'll use the backpack traveling on weekend trips to different places in Europe instead of lugging your suitcase around. Walking the steap streets of Assisi is much easier with a backpack, trust me. In addition to the backpack, taking a good sized suitcase and another small carry-on (like I did, pictured above) will do just fine. Make sure you have relatively descent luggage. Rome's airport is absolutely brutal on luggage (they broke the back wheels off of both my suitcases.)

Second, what to pack. I know you've probably heard it a thousand times by now, but it's true. Guys and girls should pack like they are spending about three weeks somewhere without doing any laundry. This was a piece of information that I didn't follow and completely regretted in when I got there. There are washers at the place you will be staying and they are open to you at anytime of the day, you will have plenty of time to do laundry. Don't be worried that you're going to run out of clothes, I promise, you won't.

If you are going to Rome for the semester in the fall seasons, you will need to pack for two seasons. When you first arrive in Rome in September, it will be very hot and humid. The month of August is not a favorite among Italians because it is the hottest and most humid month of their year. Pretty much the whole city shuts down and goes on vacation in August (including the Pope) to get away from the heat. Unfortunatly, you will be arriving in Rome during this unpleasant heat spell. For this season, you should pack clothes like the clothes you wore on the hottest day you've experienced. However, this can be kind of tricky to manage. Here in the United States, it's not uncommon for a girl to be running around in shorts and a tank top. In Italy, there are some people who dress like this, but not many. Rome is a mostly Catholic city, so you can about imagine their views on this. You need to keep in mind that Rome is a holy city. There are churches everywhere, in fact, there are over 300 churches in the city alone. You will be required to go into many of these churches for class and in order to obtain entrance to the churches, your knees and shoulders must be covered. Of course, this is a huge burden for when you are trying to stay cool in the heat. Guys are pretty much set because they usually wear a T-shirt and shorts anyway (just be sure they hit below the knee), but for girls it's a little harder. I found it worked best to wear light-weight, breathable capris, a tank top, and carry a large scarf or a shawl around in my purse for my shoulders. Worked every time.

The other season you'll need to pack for is Rome's early winter, which starts in mid to late November. Although Rome rarely gets snow, it will start getting a little chilly toward the end of your visit. For this season, you'll need to pack things to wear like it's fall in Bismarck. In December, the low is around 14 degrees celcius (the fahrenheit scale is not used in Europe), which is about 40 degrees fahrenheit. Jeans. long sleeve shirts, and a light jacket are a must.

For those of you who are going to Rome in the spring, it will be a little easier on you because 1- you don't have to endure the heat and 2- because you only have to pack for one season. The spring season in Rome averages around 17 degrees celcius (about 64 degrees fahrenheit) and will be a relativly good time in terms of weather.   
For more information about the weather in Italy, you can go to this link where I found my information for this blog:   http://www.rome.world-guides.com/weather.html

The last thing I need to discuss are the random things that you'll need to pack for a visit to a European country like Italy. These things include:

• A European adapter/converter- Europe doesn't have the same outlets as America. The adapter is placed on the end of the American plug and allows you to plug things like your computer charger into the European socket. The converter is needed for things that don't already have a converter, like a straightener. Since the voltage in Europe is so much higher than the US, a converter is needed so that you don't blow anything up.
• Euros- Go to a bank (I went to the Bank of North Dakota) and order about one-two hundred euros in advance. You can do this at airports, but you really won't have much time (there is always a huge line) and they charge a huge percentage to exchange currency. It is much cheaper and easier to order them ahead of time. You'll still have to pay some exchange fee, but it will be much less than if you were to do it at the airport or in Rome. This way, you'll have some euros just in case of an emergency.
• Get a credit card- Trust me on this one. I hate credit cards because I hate spending money that I don't have, but for emergency purposes I got one through my bank before I went to Rome, and trust me, I'm sooo glad I did. In addition to a debit card, it's a good idea. Two weeks before I left Rome for home, my debit card stopped working for some reason and it wouldn't let me use it for purchases or pull out cash at an ATM. My credit card saved my butt. Just be sure to put down the billing address so the bill is sent your parents or a trusted friend and leave them money to pay the bill with just in case you end up using it like I did. Another thing, be sure to call your bank before you leave and let them know that you're going to Europe and how long you'll be there. In past trips, there was a guy that didn't do this and his bank canceled both of his cards because they thought someone stole his card numbers. Dont forget!

Follow these pointers and you'll be set for the eternal city in no time. :)