Booking Travel

Planning your arrival and departure into Florence or your host city is usually one of the primary concerns for our students. To plan your travel we suggest the following: 

• Verify arrival date for your program—students are required to arrive prior to the start of classes for orientation. Check the Marist-Italy academic calendar to confirm your program’s arrival date. Note: students may not have access to housing earlier than date noted on academic calendar without special permission.  
• Students may not leave the program early and should book their flights to ensure that they are present through final exam week to ensure that they are available to sit all exams. If you do not sit exams you may fail the course.
• Have your passport ready - some airlines require this information when booking tickets.
• Review the recommended arrival information below for assistance in selecting airports and arrival locations.
• US based students are encouraged to review the section of this module on Marist-Italy's travel agent and group flight options. 

Florence

Students from the U.S. will find that there are no flights from the United States flying directly to Florence. Major airlines provide connections to Florence through many cities, such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Rome. Regardless of connection, Marist-Italy recommends that the final flight destination for U.S. students be Peretola Airport in Florence.  

European students and students traveling from other destinations may have direct flight options. Those comfortable with travel may arrive into Florence via plane, train or bus.  

Airport

Peretola Aeroporto di Firenze "Amerigo Vespucci" Airport (Airport Code is: FLR).  The airport, is 5 Km. (3 miles) from the city centre by taxi.

Other nearby airports (require bus or train travel to the city center of Florence) include Galileo Galilei Airport in Pisa (PSA) and Aeroporto di Bologna (BLQ). Travel hubs such as Milan (three hours away) and Rome (90 minutes away) are accessible by high-speed trains.

Train

Florence, Santa Maria Novella Station is a five-minute walk from the Marist-Italy administrative office. The Trenitalia English-language website contains all train travel information for Italy, including the Italian Eurostar, regional trains, and airport shuttles

There are two airports in Rome. Most US flights will arrive into Rome Fiumicino Airport; Ciampino Airport primarily hosts discount airlines and intercontinental (Europe) flights. 

Rome

Aiport

Fiumicino/Leonardo di Vinici Airport (Airport Code is: FCO). The airport, is 26 Km. (16 miles) from the city centre by taxi or train.

Ciampino Airport (Airport Code is: CIA). The airport, is 15 Km. (9 miles) from the city centre by taxi or train.

Train

Rome Termini Station is a short cab ride to the Marist-Italy facilities. The Trenitalia English-language website contains all train travel information for Italy, including the Italian Eurostar, regional trains, and airport shuttles. 

Tuscania

Students studying in Tuscania usually fly into Rome, which is the closest major city. A coordinator will help you arrange travel details.  

Venice

Students traveling from Europe and other destinations may have direct flight options, US students will also find that there are limited direct flights. Major airlines provide connections to Venice through various European cities. Regardless of the connection, Marist-Italy recommends that the final destination for US students studying in Venice be Marco Polo Airport in Venice.

Airport

Venice Marco Polo Airport (Airport Code is: VCE).  The airport is 12 Km. (7.5 miles) from the city center by taxi or 10 km (6 miles) by boat.

Train

Venice Santa Lucia Station is a short cab ride to LdM facilities. The Trenitalia English-language website contains all train travel information for Italy, including the Italian Eurostar, regional trains, and airport shuttles.

U.S. Travel Agencies and Group Flights

Advantage Travel

Marist-Italy has a long-standing relationship with Advantage Travel; an agency that specializes in student travel.  For the past several years Advantage has supported Marist-Italy by organizing a New York-based group flight and individual flights for U.S. based students from most major cities, usually at reduced student rates. Advantage books for many Marist students so an additional benefit is that they attempt to book students together (who are not on the group flight) so that they have someone to travel with.

Contacting Advantage Travel:

Gabriella Bonney
E-Mail: gbonney@advantagecny.com | Tel: +1-315-471-2222  | Fax: +1-315-471-6264
Advantage Travel of CNY, Inc. | 313 East Willow Street, Suite 104 | Syracuse, NY 13203

When calling or e-mailing Advantage Travel, please identify yourself as a Marist-Italy student and note which Marist-Italy program you are participating in (BA, MA, FFE, or MLE).

The Program fee does not include the cost of round trip air travel. Students must make their reservation and payment to Advantage Travel (or their personal travel agent) directly. All arrangements and transactions will be between the student and the travel agency; Marist College and Lorenzo de Medici are not responsible for any air travel transactions or arrangements, and will not intervene or interfere in students’ arrangements. 

Group Flights

The group flight options for this upcoming semester can be found on the Advantage Travel Website.  Follow their instructions to book a seat on one of these group flights.  Once your flight has been booked you are asked to e-mail a copy of your flight itinerary to Marist-Italy (ldmitaly@marist.edu).

Arrival

Prior to departure, students will receive more information via e-mail from Marist-Italy staff regarding arrival. Upon arrival in Florence or your host city, students will be given directions on how to get from the airport to their residence. Most group flights are met at the airport. Students who elect not to travel on the group flight will need to coordinate their arrival with the Marist-Italy Resident Life staff.  Directions on how to do this will be given later on in this pre-departure program.