Students who study at the CESA are housed in either the Villa Maderni or in apartments.

Villa Maderni: is a two hundred fifty year old restored villa which contains the Center's offices, classrooms, a library, a computer lab as well as residential facilities for 24 students.

 

 

At Villa Maderni and in the apartments, the rooms are shared with either two, three or four roommates depending on the size of the room. In the Villa Maderni, each student is provided with two drawers under the bed, a closet with hangers, and a night table with lamp. Bathroom facilities are typically shared, coin or debit card operated washing machines and dryers exist in both locations.

Apartments are located within the community of Riva San Vitale and require respect for the neighbors and sensitivity to their need for silence at night. Although the apartments are cleaned by housekeepers at regular intervals, students are required to keep the facilities clean and orderly and take out the trash.

All facilities are approximately a ten minute walk from the local train station "Capalogo - Riva San Vitale".

On arrival, you will need to pay a deposit depending on where you live. The deposit can be paid in dollars or francs.

House key - $30 (or 30 francs)
Laundry card - $10 (or 10 francs)
Flashlight - $10 (or 10 francs)
Only those who live in the Pabiana are required to have a laundry card and flashlight, their deposit is $60 (or 60 francs).

Bed sheets, blankets, pillows, soap, laundry detergent, hangers, cleaning supplies and a laundry bag are provided while at the Villa. However, THESE ITEMS MAY NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR PERSONAL TRIPS. The housekeeping staff will take care of washing sheets and towels.
One wash load of your personal laundry costs 1.40 CHF and takes approximately one hour. The dryer costs 1.20CHF for an hour of drying time.

The C. Maderno 1 apartment machines take laundry cards only (provided by the office).

There is also an ironing board and irons in each of the houses for student use.

Students living in apartments typically do thier laundry at Villa Maderni if there are no laundry machines in the apartments.

Meals at Villa Maderni will give you the opportunity to experience some of the traditional food of the Ticino region and Lombardia in Italy, as well as the manner in which people in the region take meals. While breakfast is self-serve, lunch and dinner are rather formal meals where everyone eats together, in two shifts, at set times. You are served on linen tablecloths with a full place setting. All dishes, except for the salad bar, are served family style. Students take turns setting up, serving and clearing the tables. Students also sign up for meals twice a week, indicating whether or not they will be present. Vegetarian preferences are accommodated. You can also sign up for bag lunches if you plan on being away from Villa for a meal. A meal schedule will be during the orientation at CESA. With prior registration, you can also invite a guest for a meal but the inviting student will be responsible to see that the meal is first signed up for then paid for to the Administrative Assistant Michèle. Guest meals are priced as follows: 7 CHF for Breakfast, 12 CHF for Lunch, 16 CHF for Dinner.

Food prepared in the kitchens at the apartments is the responsibility of the students. The CESA housekeepers are not responsible for cleaning dirty dishes in the apartments.

There is a pharmacy in Riva San Vitale that can assist you with over-the-counter medical needs. The pharmacist there speaks English and can give normal advice.

If a student requires medical attention of a doctor, a staff member will drive him/her to see an English speaking physician (Usually Dr. Schwarzenbach in Melide).

An office staff member can make an appointment with a denist in Riva San Vitale or a gynecologist in Lugano.

If a physician is not available, emergency services at the nearest hospital will be used. The nearest hospital is in Mendrisio. The hospital in Lugano provides emergency dental servcies.

As in the U.S., the use of an emegency facility is much more expensive than an regular appointment with a doctor.

The approximate cost of a visit is 60CHF, which will automatically be billed to CESA. The student is then responsible for reimbursing that amount. Please note that typically U.S. health insurance contracts do not cover European territory directly. However, many companies will reimburse the cost of medical care abroad, either fully or in part, upon submission of receipts.

All students are obligated to obtain information about reimbursement shares and procedures prior to departure.

Riva San Vitale Grocery Stores

• Coop
• Mon. - Fri.                                8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., 14:00 p.m. – 18:30 p.m.
• Sat.                                         8:00 a.m. - 18:00 p.m.

Department Stores including supermarkets with more selection are Migros, Coop and Manor, all of which are located in Mendrisio-Chiasso and Lugano.

RESTAURANTS IN WALKING DISTANCE

The Svizzero: near the train station in Capolago

Unione: located by the co-op in Capolago

Grotto Tiglio: above/behind the train station

Cafe Sociale: across the street from co-op (walking distance)

Bar Lido: across the street and up from the co-op

Riva Piazza Grande: Mexican

HOTELS
There are two hotels within walking distance of the Center. The first is the Albergo Chery, which is in the main piazza (Piazza Grande) and only one block from the Villa Maderni. Reduced rates can be obtained for students. Current cost is approximately 45 CHF.
The Albergo Svizzero in Capolago is directly across from the train station. It offers breakfast, in-room television and en-suite baths. The rates range from 70 CHF - 150 CHF depending on the number of beds per room.

Although living abroad has many of the same dangers as living in the United States, the excitement of a new environment may make some people a little careless or distracted. Here are a few common-sense precautions that people can follow to increase the chances of an incident-free experience:

* Avoid giving out the address of CESA. Try not to disclose that you live in Riva San Vitale (CESA is the only institution there) Feel free to give the phone numbers or your email address if you want to keep in touch with your new friends.
* Be aware of your surroundings..
* Never leave your luggage or backpack unattended.
* Talk to people who have been to the places you intend to travel to. Their insights may be useful. But be aware though that these are merely their personal opinions.
* Limit your valuables. You should not bring expensive jewelry, for example. Your wallet should be in an obscure, closed pocket or in a waist money-belt. Purses should have zippered closures and should be carried over the shoulder and held close under the arm.
* Make two sets of copies of all your important documents (passport, credit cards and health insurance information). Take one set with you and keep it separate from the actual documents. Leave the other set at home.
* Avoid illegal drugs. In addition to VA TECH's HONOR CODE, you are subject to the laws of the country in which you are staying.
* Travel with a companion at night and stay in populated, well-trafficked area.
* If you are robbed, call the police immediately and fill out a police report. This may be important in making an insurance claim.

Currently, CESA subscribes to Daily Newspapers, The International Herald-Tribune and The Local Corriere Del Ticino. Further, current periodical subscriptions include Domus, Archi, Business Week, The Economist, Rivista Tecnica, and National Geographic.

There are two hairdressers in Riva; one is five minutes’ walk away south of the Villa on the main road to Mendrisio. There are also many salons in downtown Lugano and Mendrisio. Ask Sandra to help you make an appointment. The Villa also has a set of clippers available for use.

There are 5 bikes, a croquet set, badminton net and several balls at CESA for you to use. Across the street from Villa Maderni is a field for playing volleyball and soccer. This field may be used after 4:00 pm on weekdays and anytime on the weekends, because there are children in school nearby during the day. There is also a basketball court next to the elementary school that can be used after 4:30 p.m. In the area, there is plenty of hiking, swimming, and places to go for other sports that students can do at their own risk such as skiing, parasailing, horseback riding, etc. There are also local, regional and national games to attend for Hockey, Soccer, and Basketball.

For additional information on sport activities in Switzerland visit: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/basics/skiing.html

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Management Entity: Office of International Research, Education, and Development,
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA - 24061-0334