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Pensione Ferretti |
We are (especially me) rather dependent on the internet for news and email, so with assurances from friends we figured we’d be able to keep in touch with friends and family with internet cafes all over Italy. In Rome, that was certainly the case, a couple of miles from my cousin’s house, there were several Internet cafes. Except for the keyboards (grrrrr) they were great. I never did get used to that keyboard. At the Pensione Ferretti in Firenze, the owner offered use of his computer connection, so long as I only used it at night, so again, we sent photos from our digital camera, and maintained contact with our family and close friends. When we went to Calabria, we were confident we would find internet services, after all, we had gotten assurances from people there, and of course, I had seen a plethora of Calabrian websites. So as we drove into Catanzaro for the first time, we decided we would try and find an internet café. We drove around a bit and finally found a computer store. I went in and asked the sales clerk if he knew where we could find an internet connection or cafe. He looked at me very doubtfully, then finally proclaimed that there was a place, it was called “Internet Café” and he gave us several landmarks to look for, and we were on our way.Confident, my husband parked in the Piazza where this place was supposed to be, and we walked right to the street where we assumed it was, with no luck. I went into a likely store, and the proprietor suggested two doors down, yes, it was a café bar, but not an INTERNET café.. |
famous bridge to Catanzaro, the longest of its kind We finally stopped at the "American Hotel." My husband figured if anyone would be able to help him, they would. Well, they didn't speak English, but they did have bathrooms. When we came out of the bathroom, they beckoned us over to the television, where a small group of men were watching TV. It was 4:00pm Italian time, 11 September. Dazed, we watched the live coverage of the Twin Towers. Live, on Italian TV. After several instant replays, we had had enough. One of the gentlemen that worked there called his son for us, who told us how to get to the "Internet Cafe" Yup, there it was: “Internet café”. Right where it was supposed to be. we went in and saw a coffee bar and 4 game stations. Hello, we’d like to use the internet connection here please? blank look. We don’t have an internet connection… We never found an internet connection the whole time we were in Calabria. But that’s okay, it prompted two family members from the USA to call us, since we quit emailing them. |