Accommodations

Most of the buildings in Coldigioco are renovated 300-400 year old buildings, which are all beautiful in their own ways. There are four buildings that house students. Each “dorm room” holds anywhere from two to four people. The rooms are all quite small and there is little personal space for each person-usually a shelf and a drawer plus storage space under the bed. Indoor privacy is limited, but there is always plenty of room in the Jurassic Pub or outdoors to relax and hang out. Bathrooms are shared.

Beds, sheets and pillows are provided by OGC. Towels are not provided, but are nice to have, especially for swimming in the Adriatic Sea or the local Reservoir.

Water, Showers and Laundry

In the spirit of Coldigioco, a high priority is set on conservation of water and electricity. Each building has a bathroom, but showers are taken in the bathhouse, which is better equipped to handle multiple users. Water and electricity are expensive, so it is most expensive, so it is most appreciated if you take short showers. Small loads of laundry can be done using the laundry machines and detergent provided. And, like in most European households, clothes are line dried.

Food

One large room in Margolis, one of the first renovated buildings, serves as the classroom and dining room. In nice weather meals are eaten on the open walk-out terrace with a spectacular view of a nearby tower. It is especially nice to eat dinner on the terrace when the sun is setting and the wind cools things off a bit. A small kitchen in the building is used for cooking and washing dishes.

Usually we eat breakfast at 7:45 am and dinner around 7:30 pm or whenever we return from the field. Breakfast consists of fresh bread from the nearest bakery, yogurt, ham, espresso and cereal. Bread and yummy pasta (lots of it) are staples for dinner.

On field day mornings everyone will pack a lunch of a sandwich, fruit and cookies to carry with them. Some people have found it useful to bring a Tupperware container along to avoid squished lunches. It is also necessary to bring a water bottle along during the day. You may choose to bring a Nalgene water bottle, but you can also use one of the store-bought water bottles, which you will invariably acquire sometime during your travels in Italy.

In the nearby towns there are grocery stores, bars and occasionally open markets where you can by extra snacks and drinks if you like. Occasionally a few people will organize a trip to the store in the evening (before the stores close around six pm) or during the day if we are doing lab work in Codigioco.

Italians also have a daily schedule different than in the states. Grocery stores are open Monday-Friday and sometimes Saturday. Hours informally run from 8 or 9pm until 11pm or 12pm, and 5pm until7 or 8pm. Stores are sometimes closed on Thursday afternoons, however. On Sunday mornings, there is a great market in Apiro with fresh produce and other good stuff. Lunch is usually served around 1 or 2pm, followed by a siesta, and dinner usually begins around 8pm until 10 or 11pm