General Information
Hotels/Accommodations
Travel
Visa Information
Policies

GENERAL INFORMATION

Conference Location
La Pietra International Conference and Events Centre
Via Bolognese, 120
50139 Florence, Italy
Tel. +39 055 5007.225

http://www.nyu.edu/lapietra/home.html

The La Pietra International Conference and Events Centre provides the perfect setting for symposium meetings in the historic surroundings of Florence. This location has in the past hosted international summit meetings. The scenic La Pietra estate is spread across 57 acres on a hillside with views of the beautiful city of Florence. The estate's historic villas are fully equipped with an array of AV equipment and conference facilities to meet the needs of attendees and presenters alike. The location is also home of the New York University in Florence.

Transport to and from the La Pietra Centre
A daily coach / bus service will be in operation between the Conference Centre and the city centre over the conference days. The transfer schedule is available for download here.

Welcome Reception

Location: Villa Sassetti Lawn
Sunday - 18.00 to 20.00 hrs

SPIE Publications
The SPIE Publications Desk can be found near the Registration Desk on the Ground Floor of Villa Sassetti. It will be open during registration hours.

Audiovisual Equipment
The meeting room will contain the following audiovisual equipment.

• Microphone
• Projection pointer
• Screen
• LCD Projector
• PC Workstation

To check your presentation, please use the room of your presentation in the break or at the beginning or the end of a day.

Audio/Video/Digital Recording Policy

Due to copyright restrictions, strictly no recordings of any kind are permitted without prior written consent of the presenter in any conference session or posters. Consent forms are available at the SPIE Desk and anyone wishing to record must have a written consent form signed and filed for each presenter being recorded. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to leave a given session and asked to surrender their film or recording media.

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HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Due to the high tourist demand throughout the year, SPIE recommends that participants book their hotel rooms via Hotel Reservation sites such as florence-hotel-booker.com, expedia.com or their preferred travel site as soon as possible. If participants are unable to book a hotel room via the Internet, please contact the Hotel Agency Scaramuzzi Team at Tel +39055/49.49.49 - Fax +39055/47.63.93 (please use the Hotel Reservation Form), Website : www.scaramuzziteam.com, email: hotels@scaramuzziteam.com who will be able to help. 

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TRAVEL
Florence International Airport (Amerigo Vespucci) is located 4 km from Florence. The airport has a range of services including a Tourist Information point. Some selected airlines that operate from Florence include Air France, Alitalia, Lufthansa and Continental Airlines, providing flight services from many European and international city destinations (www.aeroporto.firenze.it). Transfer from the airport to the city centre or the La Pietra International conference and events centre by taxi takes approximately 20 minutes.

For great value car rental, please contact Hertz Car Rentals who have a wide variety of cateogries and prices to suit your budget. Please see conditions for more information and reference number. 
Book Online at Hertz.

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ABOUT FLORENCE
This Italian city is bursting with classical architectural buildings, spread across the 4 historical districts of Santa Maria Novella, San Giovanni, Santa Croce, and Santo Spirito. Florence boasts one of the highest concentrations of artistic treasures per square mile in the world. With the City Centre covering a small area it can be easily explored on foot, but with so many captivating attractions visitors need to plan to maximise their visit. 

The city has a fantastic array of shops including designer names and no visit to Florence would be complete without a visit to the oldest bridge dating back to Roman times - the 'Ponte Vecchio' with its Goldsmith shops. Visitors to the city of Florence can also experience the atmosphere, culture and cuisine through a wide choice of bars, cafes, and restaurants (ristoranti or trattorie). Lastly not forgetting the traditional Italian "gelateria" where delicious ice cream is made on the premises.

Further Tourist Information
Up to date information and advice to visitors can be found through the official tourist board (APT) of Florence. They can provide details of hotels, maps, opening times of museums and current exhibitions.

APT Florence Tourist Office

1 (red) Via Cavour or 29 (red) Borgo Santa Croce
Tel: +39 055 290832
www.firenzeturismo.it

Currency
The official monetary unit in Italy is the Euro. All major credit cards are widely accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants. ATM's are known as "Bancomat". Most of the hotels and restaurants in Florence include a service charge so tipping is less widespread than found in other areas of the world. 

Climate
Lying at the feet of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines not far above sea level provides a continental climate with fairly cold winters and relatively high humidity, during the summer months being July and August, many of the inhabitants of Florence retreat to the nearby hills to cool off. Average annual rainfall is 830 mm. 


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VISA INFORMATION 

Passport and Visa
Nationals of all Western European countries can visit Italy without a visa; US, Canadian, and Australian passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa. For additional details and specific visa requirements, please contact the Italian embassy in your country.


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POLICIES

Audio/Video/Digital Recording Policy
Due to copyright restrictions, no recordings of any kind are permitted without prior written consent of the presenter in any conference session, short course or poster sessions. Consent forms are available at the SPIE Audiovisual Desk and anyone wishing to record must have a written consent form signed and filed for each presenter being recorded. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to leave a given session and asked to surrender their film or recording media.

Laser Safety Policy
SPIE Europe uses tested and safety-approved laser pointers for all conference meeting rooms, and for short course rooms if instructors request one. For safety reasons, SPIE Europe requests that presenters use our provided laser pointers available in each meeting room. Use of a personal laser pointer at an SPIE event represents user's acceptance of liability for use of a non-SPIE supplied laser pointer device. Misuse of any laser pointer could lead to eye damage. 

Refund Policy
There is a €35 service charge for processing refunds. A letter requesting the refund should state the registrant's name and to whom the check should be made payable. Requests for preregistration refunds must be received no later than 7 business days prior to the first day of the meeting to be honored. SPIE Membership dues and SPIE Digital Library subscriptions are not refundable.

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