Before you arrive:

Passport:
Please make sure you have a valid passport, which will be valid through the end of the summer. Citizens of the US, Canada, and the EU will not need visas if they are staying in Italy under three months. Please check the website of the Italian consulate in your country of origin to determine if you need a visa, and please contact Caroline Goodson (c.goodson@bbk.ac.uk) if you do. Make a xerox of the important pages in case of loss, and carry it separately. Keep all tickets safe, and keep xeroxes of these too. If you have a driving license, and know how to drive standard (stick-shift) vehicles, bring your driving license.

Vaccination:
You will need to demonstrate that you are up-to-date on your tetanus vaccination. Most adults need a booster every 10 years, so please check your immunization records. Bring a photocopy of the record and hand it to Caroline Goodson upon your arrival at Villa Magna. This is a workplace safety issue and is required by Italian law for people who will be working in soil with metal objects.

Insurance:
Please check your insurance policy for travel and medical safety while in Italy. Everyone will be responsible for having his or her own medical insurance, the excavation will not assume financial responsibility for anyone’s medical care. It will be a good idea to take out a travel insurance policy for the duration of your time in Italy.

Allergies/Dietary requirements:
Please send Caroline Goodson (c.goodson@bbk.ac.uk) notice if you have any allergies and any dietary requirements you might have. Please also inform Caroline if you are taking any medicine regularly, so that in case of an emergency someone from the dig can inform medical authorities. This information will be kept confidential except in case of emergency.
Logistics:

Safety:
This is our top priority. If at any time anything going on makes you feel uncomfortable or in danger, tell the director or one of the field directors immediately. The emergency number in Italy is 112, and the operator speaks Italian and English. 113 for police, 118 for ambulance, 115 for fire.

Emergencies:
For minor problems/injuries, there are first aid kits at the dig house and on site, in the first room of the Casale when entering from the cortile, the room with the green door. Caroline Goodson will give instructions about these at the start of the season. If someone gets injured more seriously at the dig house, take them to the emergency room at the Anagni hospital: at the top of town, behind the Duomo. If you are driving follow the signs before entering the city walls of the Centro Storico, and follow the road around to the left. Try to take someone with you who speaks Italian, since the doctors generally do not necessarily speak much English. You may be asked to pay in advance for services. If none of the field directors or the director are at the dig house when the incident happens, you must call one of us as soon as possible. If there is a serious injury on site, you will go to the hospital.

These are the crucial cell phone numbers. If you run into any difficulties, CALLSOMEONE. When you are calling from the US to Italy, add 01139 before these numbers. If you’re calling from the UK to Italy, add 0039 before these numbers. Lisa Fentress: 3391912936; Caroline Goodson: 3483441864; Marco Maiuro 3405514622. Police, ambulance 113 (within Italy)

If you are away from Anagni overnight at any point during the project, or off on a day trip, you must give Caroline Goodson or Marco Maiuro a list of who is in your group, where you have gone, when you will be back, and, if any member(s) of your group have cell phones, numbers where we can reach you.

Health
Sun:
Sunstroke is potentially a serious problem. You can get sunblock and sunscreen in Anagni at the pharmacy, but if there are particular brands that you prefer it is probably good to take some with you to be safe. Heatstroke and sunstroke can be serious problems, and there are two main ways to avoid them.

1. Wear clothing that covers and protects your skin.
2. Drink lots of water. Always carry plenty of water up to the site each day: for most people, that means two 1.5 liter bottles filled with fresh water. It is up to you to make sure that you have enough water and to drink regularly. The first symptom of sunstroke is usually a headache. Drinking water usually clears it up. If you start feeling dizzy, dehydration is setting in. Sit in the shade and drink plenty of water and maybe a piece of fruit. Salt tablets are also useful, as sweating removes salts from the body. If the symptoms persist, you will need to see a doctor. Heatstroke and sunstroke can kill.

Bugs and Animals:
There are mosquitoes in Italy and lots in Anagni. If you are very sensitive, you might want to take a mosquito net to hang over your bed. In Italy there are harmless scorpions (like a bee sting) and very dangerous vipers, although we have never seen one on site.

There are dogs on site, which belong to the proprietor of the land. This land is their home, and though they appear to be undernourished and in poor health, there is very little we can do. Animal health authorities are well aware of the dig situation. The dogs are on the whole very friendly, though we would encourage you to stay clear of them, because of their diseases and infestations. It is ESSENTIAL that they are locked out of the area where we eat lunch and that all food is kept out of their reach, because there will be no food for the dig if the dogs eat it.

Living
We stay in a very basic accommodation very near to the site, and to the train station, which is usually used by boy and girl scouts on holiday. This is called the Oasi S. Clemente, and is a 10 minute’s walk from the town of Sgurgola. It has several showers and toilets and a good equipped kitchen so we can eat ‘at home’. It has space outside for eating, as well as washing pottery, a brilliant view of the hills and a lot of green space, including a field for pitching tents if desired. There is a large workroom which will be our laboratory, which can also be used for eating if it rains. We will hire a cook who will take over most of the shopping and the preparations for dinner, which means that the rota will include helping to serve dinner and washing up but probably not shopping.

The one disadvantage to the Oasi is that the two dorms are not enormous, and we will (all) be sleeping on bunk beds (with new mattresses). Anyone with a serious problem with this, a propensity to snore or talk aloud while sleeping, or an inclination to sleep outside, should bring a tent.

This change will not cut us off from Anagni. An expedition into town for mail and internet and individual exploration will happen most afternoons, so this should not be a problem, and there is a coffee bar within a few minute’s walk.

This does mean that on the Sunday of your arrival, PLEASE phone or text Caroline (0039 348344 1864) when you know what time you’ll be coming to the airport and/or station of Anagni, as we will need to coordinate someone to pick you up. If you have not sent your travel info to Caroline, please do so now. Sgurgola, where we will be living, is a quiet town and very safe. Nearly everyone is friendly and many members of our team are from Anagni and Sgurgola. They are typical small towns of central Italy. Anagni has a beautiful medieval historical centre, a very impressive cathedral, charming streets and alleyways. There are coffee bars, supermarkets, newsstands and internet points. Sgurgola has a few bars and a grocery store, and pharmacy.

Mail:
We have a dig mail box at the local branch of the Mailboxes etc. The address is:
SCAVI DI VILLA MAGNA
Mail Boxes Etc.
Via Regina Margherita 92/94
03012 Anagni ITALIA
It is important that any mail is addressed to SCAVI DI VILLA MAGNA, and then your name. Otherwise it will not get to you.

Consulates:
The nearest US consulate to Anagni is in Rome,
via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187 Roma
The nearest UK consulate to Anagni is in Rome,
Via XX Settembre 80a, 00187 Roma
Tel. (+39) 06 4220 0001

Phones:
There are no phones available to us at the Oasi. US cell phones do not normally work in Europe, but there are cheap cell phones on sale in lots of places in town, and you can get Pay-as-you-Go accounts without contracts and for not much money. There are also pay phones, which take phone cards. You can buy a card (carta telefonica) at any tabacchi (little stores selling cigarettes, candy, newspapers, and phone cards). You have to snap the corner off the phone card before sticking it in the slot in the phone. For international calls, you can get a carta telefonica internazionale from the same shop, which gives you a code to type into the pay phone.

Money:
Remember that the project does not provide spending money, nor does it pay for special foods like Coca-cola, alcohol or ice cream. There are plenty of places to buy these in Anagni or in Sgurgola. If you want to participate in the Happy Hour kitty for bar drinks, you’ll have to put some money into it each week. Weekend trips can get expensive. For most people, €70-80 per week is plenty, though if you go on a lot of trips, you could easily spend more. You can bring your bank card and use an ATM, as long as it has a 4-digit PIN code. 5-digit codes do not work in Europe. There are plenty of ATMs which should take your bank card or a credit card with a PIN. Do NOT bring Travelers’ Checks, they are very difficult to cash.

Travel:
It is your responsibility to arrive at the Oasi by 6 pm on the Sunday when the dig starts. Let Caroline Goodson (c.goodson@bbk.ac.uk, 3483441864) know as soon as you have made your travel arrangements when you expect to arrive on site. It may be that someone can pick you up or coordinate your arrival with someone else. Someone can come and pick you up at the Anagni station, or the Sgurgola station after 4 pm. Please hang on to the list of cell phone numbers in the book, in case you need to be in touch with one of us, in case you are late, for example. Make a copy of your tickets and your passport and keep these separately from the originals.

From Ciampino:
There is a train directly from the Ciampino train station, for which there is a local Italian bus from the airport which costs about 1 Euro. Do not take the Terravision bus to the Termini station in Rome, as it will add 1 hour to your travel time! From Ciampino, take the train to Anagni or Sgurgola, a trip which should not cost more than about 7 Euros under any circumstances. You can withdraw money at the airport. There is a bank machine in the Departures section. There is also a change booth, but they charge extortionate rates – best used only in emergencies and for very small amounts.

From Fiumicino:
There is a train, called the Leonardo da Vinci express, from the airport to the Termini train station, the main train station in Rome. You can buy tickets at the train station in the airport, or from a Tabacchaio (cigarette shop) near the train tracks. From Termini, buy a ticket for the train to Anagni or Sgugola. Please note: there are lots of pickpockets and thieves in the Termini train station, be careful with your belongings.

In Sgurgola:
From the train station in Sgurgola, there is a long walk up the hill to the Oasi (the station is in the valley down below town). From Anagni, there is a long walk to the site. If you are arriving with luggage, you will want to get a ride, so telephone Caroline or Marco. Do not accept rides from strangers – an English-speaking person will be in the car that meets you. We include this warning because last year someone did accept a ride from a stranger and it was creepy.

Packing

Trowel and field kit:

Please come with your own trowel. In the UK, you can buy a WHS 4” pointing trowel from most hardware stores, or online from www.Getatrowel.co.uk for 11.99 GBP. This is the industry standard trowel and we strongly encourage you to get this trowel and no other trowel. When you get your trowel, it is a good idea to soak it overnight in a bucket of water, so that the wood of the handle swells to grip the steel of the tang. Since everyone has the same trowel, you must put some identifying mark on it, which will not rub off or come off in water. Try carving it.
If you are coming from outside the UK, please let Caroline know and she will get you a trowel. Please let her know by 15 May.

Metric scale ruler with 1:50 measure
Metric measuring tape, 5 meters or 10 meters
A small bolt of cotton or nylon string
At least 4 pencils, and an eraser (rubber)
At least one Sharpie permanent marker.
Line Level (a small level that hangs on a string)

No other archaeological kit is necessary, but if you wanted to build a personal kit, you could include: bulldog clips, clothespins, nails, thumbtacks, masking tape, a drawing compass and a Silva compass.

Clothes:
Get ready to get very dirty. Digging attire is long trousers, or long shorts, shirts, work boots, and a hat. Your trousers should be lightweight, so that they breathe. Jeans are generally too hot to wear. Many people wear T-shirts, but these can often be very hot because of the knit fabric. It is often tempting to wear sleeveless shirts and be very bare, but it is always better to wear lightweight long sleeve shirts, like men’s dress shirts with collars, which allow your skin to breathe and protect you from the sun. Wear a hat with a brim which will cover your head, your ears, and the back of your neck: it is not always easy to buy one in Anagni, so get one before hand. Italian law requires that you wear steel-toed work boots or shoes on site. Luckily there has been a lot of improvement in the comfort of these recently, and they can be very comfy and well-fitting, though they always take a bit of breaking-in. You must also bring a pair of work gloves, as it is also a requirement that everyone has a pair, though you may choose not to wear them. Digging is hard on the hands. Expect blisters, cuts and sometimes minor wrist strains. Work gloves are heavy-duty leather gloves, not gardening gloves.

It can cool off in the evenings, so bring sweaters, sweatshirts and a rainjacket. Sometimes it is very nice to put on something clean and different for dinner. You may get unwelcome stares walking through town in dirty work clothes. Women certainly will get unwelcome stares wearing very bare clothes in town. Swimming gear can come in handy on weekend trips. A small backpack or personal bag to carry water and tools is essential. Bring your own personal first aid kit, including band-aids (plasters), disinfectant, medicine for upset stomach, pain killer and any other medicines you often take.

Bear in mind that will either be washing your own laundry in cold water by hand.

Sleeping:
You will need to bring sheets and pillowcases, and a sleeping bag if you want one. You might consider bringing a sleep sack (a large sheet folded in the middle and sewn down one side) for yourself, because it takes up less space. There are NOT towels provided, so bring one. A dressing gown is a good idea, as the living arrangments are very communal.

Books, music:
Bring what you need. There is not much to buy in Anagni, and there is not really a supply of communal books or music at the Oasi. It is not possible to wear headphones on site while digging, but an iPod or CD player with headphones can sometimes provide necessary privacy and relaxation after digging back at the Convitto and on car rides if you plan on traveling.

General good sense:
There can be petty theft in Italy, and the Oasi is not very secure: other people use it during the day and there are school children, cleaners and other people around.

Generally, please remember:

• This is a professional project, and it will be lots of fun and lots of hard work. It is not a vacation. We expect professional standards of behavior, and anyone who fails to meet these standards will be asked to leave.
• Archaeological work is physically demanding. Italy can get very hot and you will be working outdoors for extended periods (be aware of the dangers of dehydration and heat/sunstroke). Never go to the site without adequate water.
• It is important to be aware of your limitations and your personal health. Let the director or field directors know if you are having any difficulties.
• The Oasi is not a hotel. Guests to the Oasi are not permitted into the common sleeping rooms. Conditions there are basic, and you’ll need to take your turn helping to maintain the facilities tidying common areas including bathrooms and the lab. A weekly rota of work will be laid out. This can involve sweeping, mopping and toilet-cleaning.
• Alcohol is more easily available in Italy than in the US, and there doesn’t seem to be a concept of drinking under age. But Italians rarely get drunk, and have very poor impressions of Americans and Britons who do. Too much alcohol will severely impair your ability to excavate and we encourage moderation.
• Your participation is entirely at your own risk. Please make sure that you are carrying adequate travel insurance.