GENERAL INFO
The post office is located about three blocks from the Villa. It costs 1.80 Swiss francs to send a normal sized letter (about two pages) and postcards to the US. It takes 4-10 business days for mail to get to the US from Switzerland and vice versa. For priority mail you can use the EMS service, the cost depends on weight. Send Federal Express packages only if you have an account with Fed Ex. Letters and packages up to 5 kilograms cost 45 CHF.It is possible to mail packages home from the post office; however it is very expensive and the post office only accepts cash.

From the US, you may find that Global Priority is a more economical way of sending bulky letters and small items such as CDs and tapes. While first class mail is charged by the weight, Global Priority is charged by the size of the envelope, up to four pounds. Small envelopes (big enough to fit a CD for example) cost $4 and a large envelope (about the size of a Fed Ex envelope) is $8.

Mail is collected Mon-Fri from the post office and is sorted on the table in the corridor. Incoming packages from U.S. could be charged customs fees.

Post Office (Riva San Vitale – near Pharmacy)
Mon. - Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 2:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Sat. 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Post Office (Capolago – near train station)
Mon.- Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

ADDITIONAL POST OFFICE INFO
**The following information is obtained from (http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/basics/post.html)
Post offices are identified by a yellow logo and Die Post, La Poste or La Posta – generally open Monday to Friday 7.30am–noon & 1.30–6.30pm, and Saturday 8–11am, although watch out for slight regional variations and restricted hours in smaller branches. Some main offices stay open over the lunch break.

For both domestic and international post, there’s a two-tier system. A Priority post is delivered next day in Switzerland, within five days to Europe, and within ten days worldwide (both of the latter by airmail); B–Economy post takes three days domestic, up to ten days to Europe, and up to eight weeks by surface delivery worldwide. Currently sending a postcard or a 20g letter by A/B post costs Fr.1.10/0.90 to Europe, or Fr.1.80/1.10 worldwide. Liechtenstein has stamps which look different but cost the same. For all A post, you should write a prominent “A” with a box around it above the address, or ask for one of the blue stickers.

Poste restante is available at any post office: all you need to know is that town’s four-figure postal code. They’re displayed outside each post office, also the Swiss phonebooks and the following website: (http://www.swisspost.ch/SiteOnLine/EN/Accueil/1,1727,3208-8,00.html) list them. The correct format is, for example: Your Name, Poste Restante, CH-3920 Zermatt (“CH” is the standard postal designation for Switzerland). Liechtenstein shares the Swiss postal system, but uses its own prefix: Your Name, Poste Restante, FL-9490 Vaduz.

To minimize confusion at pickup, you should ask anyone writing to you to print your surname in underlined capitals, and include only one initial. If you want to receive mail at a smaller countryside office in the German-speaking part of the country (where the term “Poste Restante” may be less understood), you should get your correspondents to add the German equivalent – Postlagernde Briefe – to the address. You need your passport to pick up your mail, and the service is always free. Uncollected mail is returned to sender after 30 days.

The Swiss Post Office Site: (http://www.swisspost.ch/SiteOnLine/EN/Accueil/1,1727,3208-8,00.html)

In Villa Maderni there is a copying and fax machine available. You will be given an assigned number for the copier in order to bill you for the copies you make. The cost is .10 CHF per copy and the bill will be due at the semester end.

The fax machine is available for your use, free of charge, after 7:00 p.m. only. Please don’t abuse this privilege, and please always use the discount line when dialing fax numbers: 10 7 53. The fax number is 091-648-3658.

The Villa’s computer room has seven Macs and five PCs with word processing, email, and internet access. The architecture studio also has two computers with a scanner and color printer.

Emailing from the Villa is the same as emailing from VT campus. You will be able to use the your usual VT email account.

Bring your own disks. It’s more private than saving papers and email on the hard drive and you will not be limited to using only the computer on which you saved your work.

VT rules apply for the use of computer lab usage (e.g. downloading, etc.) The rules are in the Hokie Handbook. You are not allowed to download games, music, or movies on the computers here. It is against the policy.

PAY TELEPHONES
There are two pay telephones available for student use at the Villa and one Swisscom phone located in la Pabiana. The phones in Villa Maderni accept coins or phone cards. The phone in La Pabiana accepts Swisscom phone cards. Access numbers for SPRINT, AT&T, and MCI are listed on the phones. The numbers for these phones in Villa Maderni are:

Downstairs: 011-41-91-648-3496
Upstairs: 011-41-91-648-3096
Pabiana: 011-41-91-648-2498
Only give out these two numbers to your friends and family.

All student phone calls must be made and received on these phones. The administrative office cannot accept phone calls for students.The office phone, 01-91-648-3651, is for emergency use only. It costs .60 CHF to call between the Villa and the Pabiana. This is because in Switzerland, all local calls cost .60 CHF. There is no free local calling in Switzerland! Therefore, CESA has no other option than to charge as well.

CALLING THE USA
Remember to dial the country code (001) then proceed with the area code and phone number.

CALLING CARDS
Long distance calls to the US with calling card:
AT&T 0800-890011
MCI 0800-890222
Sprint 0800-899777

You can get information on calling any country at: www.countrycallingcodes.com

You may either use coins or a calling card such as SPRINT, AT&T, and MCI. There are many options when it comes to calling cards. The best thing to do is shop around for the best deals and to inform the card company you will be spending time in Europe to avoid any confusion in billing. If you have a calling card, make sure you understand its terms and usage rules. Many calling cards are only inexpensive for one predetermined number, and prohibitively expensive for all others.

Do not use phone cards purchased in the United States for calls within Europe if you can help it. These phone cards are routed through telephone wires in the U.S. and therefore use up more money or units than if you were to use a Swiss calling card.

1-800 toll free numbers generally do not work from outside of the US. If you have a calling card that instructs you to dial a 1-800 number to access your account, check to make sure you can access this number for free outside of the US. If not, go with another card company. Otherwise, you will have to pay international direct dial rates to access your account in addition to the phone call you make with the card.

One economical way to make long distance calls is with a Swisscom phone card. The phone in La Pabiana only accepts these “tax cards.” The phone at the post office also accepts these cards and credit cards. The phone cards can be purchased at newsstands, tobacco stands, or at La Posta (the post office) in denominations of 10CHF or 20CHF.

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