GENERAL
PREPARATIONS
LIFE IN GENOA
MAIL/PACKAGES
PACKAGES
The FIU Genoa program has an agreement with Mailboxes Etc. to receive packages from any courier service, also USPS, but ONLY for packages. You can use this both for any package delivery, including online shopping (Amazon, Vinted, etc) or a care package sent from friends or family at home. You must have a tracking number. Mailboxes Etc. will not contact you when it arrives. You will need your passport to retrieve the package.
Here is the address:
Your name (recipient)
Florida International University
Mail Boxes Etc. - Centro MBE 0035
Via Bartolomeo Bosco, 25/27
16121 Genova GE
Italia
Tel: +39 010 553 1500
For packages arriving from the US, Italy may (and probably will) charge a customs duty based on the value of items entering Italy, either value declared by sender or value determined by customs official. FIU and the FIU Genoa program are not responsible for the customs charges or the procedure of payment.
You cannot receive mail at your apartment, so we recommend having mail (only) sent to the convent: nothing valuable, nothing that requires a signature, nothing that you can't track, and definitely NO packages. Please let the Program Managers know if you are expecting mail at the convent as the mailbox is not in FIU's rented spaces and is not checked regularly.
Mailing address:
Your name (recipient)
Florida International University Genoa Program
Convento di S. Maria di Castello
Salita di S. Maria di Castello, 15
16123 Genova
Italia
SENDING MAIL AND PACKAGES (FROM ITALY TO US)
All letters and post cards go airmail and take about 5-7 days to arrive. Stamps are bought at the tobacco shops and letters dropped in the red mailboxes immediately outside.
STAMPS: Go to a tabaccheria. Not all of them sell stamps, but most do. Better not to go to the post office for stamps due to the wait. The word for stamp: francobollo.
Sending Packages
Packages can be sent home via package delivery or through the Italian postal service. For the Italian post office there is the main office on Via Dante.
For package delivery service there is Mailboxes Etc downtown (Via Bartolomeo Bosco, 21) that handles various services like FedEx and DHL.