Study Abroad in Rome: Housing & Meals

Students live in either shared rooms in apartments or as a paying guest in a private home. Housing assignments are based on housing requests submitted to AIFS at the time of acceptance.

Student apartments

These are located in different areas of the city center, in buildings where other Italians live. By living in an Italian residence, and not in a dorm, AIFS-Richmond students are exposed to an immersed Italian experience, participate in the local everyday life in Italy and establish relationships with other Italians in the building. Each apartment is privately owned and is unique in atmosphere, size, design, facilities, floor plan, and number of bedrooms. A typical apartment will be shared with 2 to 8 other AIFS-Richmond students and contain a combination of double (2 students per room) or triple (3 students per room) bedrooms. Up to four students will share one bathroom, and all students share the kitchen, sitting area, and washing machine. Each apartment is equipped with: basic kitchen supplies, furnishings, blankets, two sets of sheets per student. Apartments are not equipped with: towels, telephones (students can purchase a cell phone for a reasonable price), clothes dryers (Italians use clothes lines), Internet, air conditioning.

All apartments are located within 30- to 45-minute transit (by metro, bus and/or foot) to the Study Centers.

Students pay a deposit of approximately 310 euros per person for utilities directly to the landlord upon arrival.

Paying guest in an Italian home

Students have a key to the apartment and can come and go as they wish. There is privacy for study and yet there is also a certain amount of contact with the Italian hosts. A large number of Italian apartments are occupied by a single person, so students are likely to be housed with a single woman or professional couple. In many homes, students have the use of only the bedroom, bathroom and limited use of the kitchen. Italian hosts do not usually allow free use of the entire apartment. The program fee is based on a twin-bedded room shared with another AIFS student. Students in Italian homes do not pay for utilities.

AIFS always arranges the best accommodation available for students. Changes in housing will be considered only in the event of health and safety issues.

Meal Options

All students receive meal vouchers for 10 meals per week (five breakfasts plus five lunches or dinners per week) for use in a large number of restaurants, cafés, food stores and supermarkets.