Creative Technologies Volunteering in Rome - Italy

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The volunteer program is located in Rome, the capital city of Italy in the central portion of the Italian Peninsula. Volunteer placements are located throughout the wider city of Rome and the program begins on the second and fourth Monday of every month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from 1 week to 12 weeks.

Volunteers are required to fly into Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA), which is a 2 hour flight from most major airports in Britain.

IVHQ also offers a separate volunteer program based in Naples, Southern Italy. In Naples, you can join 3 different volunteer projects, including Teaching, After School Care and Environmental. You can learn more about the Naples volunteer program here.

The program orientation in Rome begins on the second and fourth Monday of each month and lasts for a full day. Volunteers need to arrive in Rome on the Sunday before orientation.

After you have registered for the program, please book your flights to arrive at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Your airport pick-up is included in your Program Fee. British travellers do not require a visa to enter Italy.

When you arrive, you will be greeted at the airport by a member of the local team and taken to the volunteer accommodation in Rome. Your accommodation is covered by your Program Fee and includes the night before your program orientation.

If you are travelling in Italy prior to your volunteer program and arriving overland, we can arrange for you to be picked up from a central meeting point in Rome on the Sunday before orientation.

Orientation is hosted by our Italy team in Rome. It begins the morning of your chosen start date and lasts for a full day. The orientation covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Rome – Introduction to Italy, Culture and Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities, Introduction to Project and Placement as well as a tour of the local area. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers with whom you can swap contact details for weekend travel and socialising.

Your specific placement orientation will be held the following day and you will be shown how to travel to and from your placement, receive an introduction to your placement, and then complete a few hours of volunteering.

Weekdays: After your program orientation, you will have a morning, afternoon or evening volunteer shift at your placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. A typical morning schedule is as follows:

6.30 AM Breakfast begins at the volunteer accommodation and is available until 10:30am.

8.00 AM Travel to volunteer placement to join local placement staff and begin work on your project. Please note that start times and daily workload depend on the project that you are participating on. Some placements run in the afternoon and volunteers on these placements will have the morning free to use as they wish or to attend Italian language lessons.

12.00-1.00 PM Lunch break. After lunch, you will continue your volunteer work (where applicable).

1.00 PM Volunteers with afternoon or evening shifts travel to placement to join local placement staff and begin work on their project. Please note that start times and daily workload depends on the project that you are participating on.

6.30-10.30 PM Dinner at the volunteer accommodation. After dinner, you will have the remainder of the evening free to relax and use as you wish.

Please note that this schedule will vary depending on the needs of your particular project.

Volunteers are accommodated in a dormitory-style camping lodge located in Rome. The camping lodge has a large pool as well as other social and game facilities for volunteers to enjoy in their free time. It accommodates many guests at a time and you can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers of the same gender. Bedding and towels are provided, and there are shared western bathrooms. Staff will clean the accommodation throughout the week, however volunteers are required to keep their rooms tidy.

WiFi is available at the volunteer accommodation, as well as many cafes and restaurants in the area. To keep connected, the local team will provide you with a free local SIM card that you can activate to purchase mobile data for an unlocked mobile phone.

Private single, twin or double rooms in the ​camping lodge, with the use of the communal bathrooms, can be arranged at an additional cost.

Volunteers are provided with breakfast and dinner each day as part of the program, with lunch needed to be purchased at your own cost.

Breakfast is self-serve at the accommodation and available from 7am to 9am. Breakfast generally includes tea, coffee, bread, croissants, sweets, cheese, ham, spreads, cereal, yogurt, and fruit.

Dinner is served between 6:30pm and 10:30pm and includes local staples such as pasta, vegetables, and salad. We recommend you budget about US$10 per day for lunch and you’ll be able to source this in local shops and eateries in town. These are easily accessible both close to placement and the accommodation.

Tap water is fine to drink in Rome and the accommodation has a fountain of drinkable water where you can refill your reusable bottle. However, bottled water is also readily available if you prefer and you should budget approximately US$10 (approximately £7) per week for this.

Volunteers have the weekends free to explore and Italy is universally recognised for its history, art, culture, cuisine and natural beauty - there is absolutely no shortage of things to see and do while in Italy!

Rome has many UNESCO World Heritage Sites and you can spend your free-time visiting the historical centers and attractions, tasting the world-renowned cuisine, sipping espresso in the many café bars, or simply wandering around and discovering how truly beautiful Rome is. Must-dos on your list should include standing in awe of the Colosseum, visiting the Vatican City, seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, exploring the Pantheon and throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain.

Or take a quick train trip over a weekend to see the ancient ruins of Pompeii, or Naples - the home of pizza. Nature lovers should also factor in a visit to the beautiful Amalfi Coast to complete the “Walk of the Gods”.

Volunteers staying for longer durations, or who wish to travel before or after their program, can visit areas further afield in Italy, including Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Milan, Pisa and so much more! You can make travel arrangements once you arrive in Rome with the advice and guidance of our expert local team.

See our Italy Travel and Tours page for more volunteer travel options in Italy!

Weather and climate: Italy’s climate is quite diverse due to the great longitudinal extension of the peninsula and its mountainous terrain. The coastal areas of Liguria, Tuscany and most of the South are predominantly Mediterranean with dry summers and moderately wet winters. In the northern parts of Italy and areas of higher altitudes, the climate is cooler and the winter months can be cold, wet, and often snowy. Weather in Rome, where the IVHQ volunteer program is based, is pleasant throughout the year. Winter temperatures in Rome (December to February) vary from 4°C/39°F to 14°C/57°F while spring (March to May) is slightly warmer at around 15°C/59°F. Summer (June to September) in Rome can become very hot and humid with average temperatures ranging between 18°C/64°F and 31°C/89°F. Rainfall is heaviest in November and driest in July.

Volunteers need to be 18 years or over to participate on this program, unless volunteering with a parent or guardian. If you are under the age of 18, IVHQ offers alternative volunteer opportunities for teens. Visit our High School Volunteer Abroad page to learn more.

All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance and provide a criminal background check to IVHQ’s local team on arrival in Italy. Additional requirements apply for Creative Technologies volunteers as outlined in the project description.

Fluency in Italian is not a prerequisite for the volunteer program in Rome. However, we recommend that volunteers take advantage of the very affordable language lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our local team in Italy. Volunteers find that taking these lessons helps immensely with day-to-day volunteer work and communicating with local people. Volunteers interested in taking Italian language lessons can arrange these directly with the local team once in Italy.

Free Interactive Volunteer Training - All volunteers are encouraged to complete our interactive pre-departure training, which is available exclusively to registered IVHQ volunteers. The training is designed to build an understanding of important aspects that need to be considered before embarking on an IVHQ program. It helps volunteers to prepare in the right way by providing advice on what it takes to be a safe, responsible and valuable volunteer. Try a sample of the training here.