Things to Bring / Your NAC Room

What to Bring to Rome

  1. Packing (Essentials / Non-Essentials / What Not to Bring)
  2. ID Photos
  3. More information

It can be difficult to know what to bring with you and what to leave at home. Some things are easy to find in Rome, whereas others can be more difficult. You certainly don’t want to spend money to buy something that you already own at home if you don’t need to. But remember that this will be your home for the next four or five years. The following list and resources can help you to determine what is needed and what is not. It will be much easier if you can ship as much as possible to Rome before you leave (heavier items especially) so that you don’t have to bring as much with you on your flight.

Packing

General

  • Shipping
    • Keep track of what you pack in each box, the shipping company will ask for a list of items and a wholesale price estimation.
  • Advice
    • Don’t worry too much about packing. It might be better to err on the side of simplicity. If you find you need anything when you get here, you are usually able to buy it.
        • Amazon.it is a great resource as well as local stores.
    • If there are specific American goods that you like/use frequently it is good to get those before leaving.
    • What you bring to Rome you will also eventually need to ship home.

What to Bring (Essentials)

  • Quality luggage (You will be traveling frequently)
    • Large main suitcase (for longer trips, i.e. Christmas and Easter breaks)
    • Smaller carry-on, duffle, or larger backpack (for weekend trips)
    • Standard Backpack/messenger bag (for day trips and for class)
    • Although flights are very cheap in Europe, baggage allowances are much stricter, so always check with the airline before you travel
  • One black suit (Some may desire a second suit). 
  • Clerical Wear (Once classes start, you will be wearing black clerical most of the week to class and around the house)
    • Short and/or long-sleeved clerical shirts
    • Bring at least one set of clerics. You will have the chance to buy more here (which tend to be cheaper and better quality than back home)
    • 4-5 pairs of black dress pants
    • Plenty of black dress socks
    • 2-3 pairs of sturdy and comfortable black dress shoes (you will be walking a lot and they are worn very often)
      • It also works well to have one nice pair and one for walking
      • Comfortable sandals such as Birkenstocks or black sneakers are allowed
  • Casual wear (Casual wear at NAC means a collared shirt tucked into long pants)
    • NOTE: during orientation and summer language study, clerics will not be worn, so bring enough collared shirts for this time and for times during the year when clerics are not required
    • Collared shirts (dress shirts and/or polo shirts)
    • Long pants (dress pants, trousers, chinos, khakis, jeans, etc.)
    • Shoes for casual wear (dress shoes, boat shoes, nice tennis shoes, etc.)
      • Nice sandals with socks are allowed (birkenstocks, chacos, etc.)
    • During the year, you can usually change to casual in the afternoon after pranzo, and most of the weekend is also free to wear casual clothing
  • Athletic wear (shirts, shorts, shoes, etc.)
  • Outerwear (sweaters, pullovers, light jackets, etc.)
    • Hoodies are not allowed to be worn over clerics, but are fine for casual wear
    • Darker colors are preferred for clerical wear
  • Clothes for colder weather (hat, gloves, heavy jacket, etc.)
    • The winters in Rome are typically mild (snow is pretty rare, but happens on occasion), but many travel destinations in Europe can be very cold in the winter, so prepare accordingly
  • Extra undershirts and underwear
  • Gear for activities you enjoy (hiking, skiing, etc.)
  • Rain jacket and umbrella
    • Umbrellas are used frequently. It would be nice to have a good model. It would be worth shipping a small, extendable model but if you prefer the larger stick models they can be bought here.
  • Beach towel, swimming trunks
  • Regular towels: towels are not provided for your room
    • You can choose to purchase them here if you would like
  • Large bag for laundry
    • Basket or hamper can be bought here
  • Toiletries (e.g., comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and deodorant, etc.)
    • Toiletries are very easy and affordable in Italy and most major brands can be found. The college KNAC store also sells many of these supplies.
    • For early orientation, you will leave for Assisi or Siena after four or five days in Rome. If there are particular brands of toiletries which you prefer, you may want to bring a month’s supply of these with you so you don’t have to find them in the city right away.
    • Be sure to bring shaving supplies
  • Glasses or sufficient supply of contacts and cleaning solution
  • Laptop and computer accessories
    • Major electronic devices such as tablets and computers can be more expensive here and are harder to acquire
    • Smaller items such as keyboards, headphones and other small electronics are easy to find and are affordable but Italian keyboard layouts may differ slightly
  • Two or three plug adapters (change the prongs only) or converters (adjust the electricity flow).
  • Four-volume Liturgy of the Hours (U.S. and Canada)
  • Excellent Bible(s)
    • It may be worth bringing two Bibles for different purposes:
      • a large/giant print version for your room (e.g. click here)
      • A small and protected Bible to carry with you frequently
  • Academic and spiritual reading books:
    • There is a very large English library at the NAC (click here for the library catalog), yet please note that purchasing books in English in Europe can be more expensive.
    • If you think you may want a particular book, know that it will likely be harder to get it once you are in Italy
      • To get personal copies, you can 1) use free books in the public domain 2) purchase eBooks 3) purchase from Amazon or abebooks.it etc
  • Checkbook for money exchange at the college’s Economato office
    • This method is convenient and offers a very good exchange rate.
  • Copies of all vital documents (i.e. passport, visa, driver’s license etc.)
  • Academic files for possible course dispensations (for more information on what this means and if it applies to you, see the section on Academics)
  • Loan deferment forms, if applicable (consult the explanation of loan deferment procedures)

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Nice to Have (But Not Required)

  • Cassock
    • We do not wear it often (only for major papal events if you choose to go)
    • Cassock is required each week at Sunday Mass if you are in the choir (house surplices are provided for this)
    • Recommended to bring
  • Accessories such as sunglasses and a watch
  • Hangers
    • They are not provided with the room but you can easily buy them in the city or inherit them from other seminarians.
  • Bathrobe
  • School and office supplies, (it’s a good idea to bring some things to get started, i.e. pens, note pads, etc.)
    • Office supplies are easy to find and inexpensive in Italy, and the college’s KNAC store sells them as well
    • Some office supplies are different here than back home (such as 4-hole punchers and 4-ring binders as opposed to 3), so if you prefer items from back home it would be a good idea to ship them over
    • Very easy to buy in the city. Only bring items if you have a strong preference.
  • Flash drive or external hard drive for backup and transfer of data
  • Camera
  • Sports equipment (e.g. glove, tennis racket, ski gear, shoes, cleats, etc.)
    • It is expensive to transport the larger items (i.e. ski gear) and easy enough to rent at ski places.
  • Personal books (remember books tend to be more expensive here)
  • Italian grammar books, CDs, or dictionary
  • Musical instrument, art supplies or other hobbies
  • Religious art, family pictures, or other decorations and personal effects for your room
  • International Driving Permit (IDP)
    • Required if you hope to drive at all.
    • AAA is recommended, Click Here

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What Not to Bring

Note that sheets, bedding, blankets, and one pillow is provided, though you may bring your own if you like. (Towels are not provided.) Laundry supplies, including detergent, bleach, irons, and ironing boards are all provided. Kitchen supplies are provided in the hall lounges. Hot plates and toasters are not allowed in your room for safety reasons. Electric hair clippers, fans, lighting, plug-in alarm clocks, or other items will not usually work with the Italian electrical system, so leave those at home as well. Other things such as lighting fixtures for your room, fans, room furnishings, printers and ink, and snacks are all easily purchased in Rome upon your arrival

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ID photos

There is no need to bring additional ID photos for the NAC or the universities. Photos will be taken and printed here at the NAC since the size requirements are slightly different.

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Your Room at the NAC

It’s important to remember that your room at the NAC will be your home for at least the next four years. You are free to modify the room to your liking, and many seminarians transform their rooms to make them more comfortable and personalized. When you’re here, feel free to hang posters and art on all the walls, arrange the furniture and add your own touches. There’s no need to bring or ship any furniture or appliances as this can all be easily found here. There is an IKEA in the general Rome area, and other smaller stores where it is possible to get other things for your rooms. Although each room comes with basic furniture, (bed, bookshelf, desk, desk chair, desk lamp and reading chair), many opt to acquire furniture from their diocesan brothers (patrimony), wait for free items to be given away (regalo), or simply buy newer furniture later on. Below is an example of how a seminarian set up his room, along with a PDF with room dimensions and other room photos to aid in your preparations.

  • Your Room at NAC (Room dimensions and diagrams to aid with your packing and planning)

Example  of a seminarian’s finished room

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