From: David Ross (ross_at_math.hawaii.edu)
Date: Fri Dec 06 2002 - 14:43:02 EST
> I was in Florence for a month in the fall and I signed up with
> www.libero.it.
I considered this; the problem was that I didn't have a permanent
Italian address anymore, and didn't want to impose on
my colleagues for their address (for fear that they'd get junk mail
aimed at me). At $4/hour Maglobe seemed like not much to spend,
and - a I mentioned - the connections were very good (unlike the free
ISP Iused to use in the UK). Also, I could use it in England when I
went there after Italy.
> I was staying in a place with "free local calls", so it was a
> fantastic deal for me.
Very nice, and hard to come by (though in Pisa I spent about half the
visit in such a place).
By the way, anyone interested in Florence should consider staying in
Pisa instead - a quick, inexpensive train ride from Florence,
and very substantially cheaper (we were in a very comfortable 3 star
hotel for $70/night). Even better, stay in Viareggio,
also a fast train ride in to Florence but on the Med, a wonderful
promenade, and great seafood.
> If you have a GSM cellphone it's also a great deal to buy a
> pre-paid Italian SIM card. Cheap, Italian phone number, free incoming
> calls, very nice.
We found a calling card while there that was only 5 cents/minute to
Chicago, and no hidden charges. This would have been another
alternative to a local ISP. (The trick is to find an honest newsstand,
and ask the proprieter about the dizzying array of phone cards he is
sure to have.)
You can also use these on cell phones, of course.
BTW, Internet cafes used to be the 'standard' solution to email etc
while travelling in Europe, but there are fewer of them than there used
to be, and in Italy anyway they are always very full of people (mainly
students).
David R.
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