Wikimedia Conference 2013

Wikimedia Conference 2013 was an annual meeting of all Wikimedia chapters to discuss their status and the future of the Wikimedia movement in terms of organisational development.

Date and time

The conference was held 18–21 April, 2013. The plan was to have the main conference on Friday through Sunday, plus thematic meetings on Thursday, with participants arriving on Wednesday or Thursday evening and leaving on Sunday afternoon.

Location and venue

Wikimedia Italia hosted the Conference in Milan, Italy.

Venue
Open Thursday – feel free to add your own group's meeting and timing.
Google Map

Program

Evening programme

Before the conference

Registration is required and closes on 00:00 UTC March 20
Scholarships

Reaching the venue

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.

Greg Anderson

Bullshit.

Cpt. Jenaway

Milan is the most "european" city in Italy, and can be reached by many different means of transportation.

Milan travel planner

The venue (map) is 200 m on foot from underground "yellow" line 3, stop "Lodi"; it's also on trolleybus lines 90/91 and 92 and less than 700 m from tram 24 (via Ripamonti) or 9 (porta Romana).^[1] All the accommodations and connections are on one of these lines.

Arriving by plane

Milan is served by three airports, all well connected to the city center.

Milano Malpensa [1] is the main international and intercontinental hub, with direct flights from almost any European country, and from most of the main U.S. and Asian airports. It is located 46 km from the city center. Once you land, check the terminal you are into: there are two, not very close but connected by a bus shuttle 24/7 with rides every 7 minutes by day, every 30 minutes by night. To reach Milan city center, you can choose between the following options.
From train stations or Rho-Pero, it's recommended to take the underground to reach the venue (MM3 Lodi), hostel (MM3 Turati) or Romana Residence (MM3 Crocetta).
- Railway shuttle to Milan Cadorna Station via MalpensaExpress, departing from Terminal 1 underground station (~36 min): 11 €.[2] Recommended but they're standard commuter trains, don't rely on good signs or instructions in English. (Centrale trains take longer, good only if needed for bus/tram/walk connections.)
  - From Cadorna, 1000 m on foot to Ostello Bello (or tram 14 from Duomo undergrourd if you're really lazy and/or can't walk).
- Bus shuttle to Central Station, from both terminals, from 5 € but usually 10 €: cheaper but relies on highway traffic so leave a bit of buffer time. Usually terminal 2 requires less time than 1 with buses.
- By taxi: hey Mr Moneybags, that will set you back a whopping 90 € to any Milan street; or 65 € to the last underground line 1 station, Rho-Pero. This is independent of the number of people riding, so at least try to carpool. Remember, this is a legal fee, beware drivers asking more: see the official prices list from the municipality for details including contacts in case something goes wrong.
- By private shuttle: if you are in a large group (let's say 10 or more), and you can arrange your arrival together well in advance, you can book a private shuttle for about 20 € per person.
- There is actually a much longer mixed route, with a local bus and a suburban train route that probably would be a little bit cheaper, but -let's be honest- no person of sound mind would go for it

Milano Linate [3] is the city airport, connecting Milan to most European capitals, among a fair share of national flights. Being located just 7 km from the city center, you could actually walk to the city... provided you love risking your life on high traffic motorways. On a more practical approach, your options could be:
- Urban route bus, number 73, straight to San Babila square in the city center. Just 1,50 €. If you are lucky, there is an express bus (73X), same price and destination, much faster. Not a bad deal, isn't it?
  If you're going straight to the venue, ensure it's line 73 (not 73X), take down at piazza Emilia (you'll notice largo Marinai d'Italia gardens right after it) and take connection with line 92.
- Bus shuttle to Central Station, from 5 €, leaving every half an hour
- Taxi: that should be about 50 €, same considerations as above. It's within the municipality borders, so just ensure the meter is used.
- By private shuttle: fares for groups can be as low as 8 € per person (minibus for 16 people). They pick you up at the gate, leave you at the venue, and wait for you if the plane is late.

Milano Orio al Serio [4]: located 45 km from the city, is the main hub for low-cost airlines (pro-tip: Orio is actually Bergamo airport, not Milan's! Feel free to share this if you want to impress some lady on your way here).
- Bus shuttle to Milan Central Station (10 €). *Very* dependent on highway conditions. If you plan to arrive or leave in peak hours, there could be some waiting time and lot of traffic. Allow for some delay.
- City bus to Bergamo, then local train to Milan. Strongly advise against, very busy railway line, prone to delays, less dependable than shuttle.
- Taxi: man, you have some serious money to waste!
- By private shuttle: 20-25 € each, same as above. There are many companies providing the service, all of them let you compare prices online.

Arriving by train

So, you decided to reach Milan by the extensive european high-speed network, with its luxury trains traveling at 350 km/h? Or you just smuggled yourself aboard a flatbed convoy loaded with steel beams, leaving Estonia three weeks ago? You are welcome either way!

The main station (Stazione Centrale) is in the very heart of Milan and is connected through 2 underground lines, with fares up to 1,50 € per trip (discounts for multiple or daily tickets). There is a large taxi parking just outside the left exit. Most high speed and international trains will arrive here. While you are there, pay attention to this masterwork of architecture, an unique blend of fascist monumental architecture, Art Deco and Liberty style.
Some international trains – mostly from Paris – arrive and depart from Porta Garibaldi, the second large city station. You are just a short walk or two underground's stops from Centrale, so that's almost the same thing. The advice here is to look as the newly built Porta Garibaldi skyscrapers, a new modern addition to the city center designed by Cesar Pelli.

Arriving by road

Milan is connected to a wide network of motorways. Just reach the A4 motorway and follow the signals.

I guess you have with you a GPS (or a smartphone, a tablet PC, a web-connected wristwatch, an offline printed version of OSM) so no more words needed.

Arriving by ship

Despite being in the middle of a plain in one of the few regions in Italy with no access to the sea, Milan was once a thriving port: over 350.000 tons of goods entered the city every year through its three man-made channels (Navigli) and the two rivers grazing the city limits. Those goods ranged from textiles, to food, to precious marbles: the city dome was entirely built with white marbles brought from the caves on the Alps, brought to the city by navigating on wooden barges through the Maggiore Lake, then the Ticino river and lastly the Navigli.

Unfortunately, the city growth closed most of the waterways, and the boat service is now only for local tourism.

That said, if you really want to do something unusual you can actually reach the city center by swimming from Switzerland (mind the dams, please) to Porta Genova underground station. Let us know if you plan to do so, we'd love it!

After the conference

Photos of the conference: commons:Category:Wikimedia Conference 2013
State of the movement presentations: commons:Category:State of the movement presentations 2013

Contact

Giulia Sepe <giulia.sepe AT wikimedia.it>
Help line +39.327 2616853

Notes

↑
If you worry about missing the right stop, consider than lines 9 (always) and 90/91 (often) have recent means with announced stops. You also have good signs you can't miss:
- line 9, porta Romana: just take down when you see a huge 16th century gate or brick wall;
- line 24: coming from the center, you can't miss the tracks climbing a bridge in front of you after your stop (or the big gray fascist-like building on the corner);
- lines 90/91 and 92 (Lodi): even easier, it's last stop and you're probably forced to get down.

Affiliates meetings

2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2022 • 2024

[1] If you worry about missing the right stop, consider than lines 9 (always) and 90/91 (often) have recent means with announced stops. You also have good signs you can't miss:
line 9, porta Romana: just take down when you see a huge 16th century gate or brick wall;

line 24: coming from the center, you can't miss the tracks climbing a bridge in front of you after your stop (or the big gray fascist-like building on the corner);

lines 90/91 and 92 (Lodi): even easier, it's last stop and you're probably forced to get down.

[2] 9, porta Romana: just take down when you see a huge 16th century gate or brick wall;

[3] 24: coming from the center, you can't miss the tracks climbing a bridge in front of you after your stop (or the big gray fascist-like building on the corner);

[4] s 90/91 and 92 (Lodi): even easier, it's last stop and you're probably forced to get down.

[1]