Viva italia - do hotels have free internet?

[going2dis]

Going on Viva Italia July 3rd. Was wondering if the hotels included have free Internet. Looking for cheap options to phone the US. Otherwise will buy a phone card once we arrive. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Diskidatheart]

When I went on this trip last year, the hotel in Rome did not have free internet. The place we stayed in Tuscany did have free wireless internet, but I had to go into a lobby area to get the best connection. I believe the hotel in Venice changed from last year, but ours did not have free internet (or any internet for that matter), but you could go down the street to a cafe and pay for it.

 

[GAN]

Very few places in Italy offer Free Internet service -I would figure on getting a plan or card that will allow calls to the US. We have ATT and for $5 we got a plan that gave us $.99/min rates -not great but we had no need to call home that often. In the event that you have the same...

http://rjtalestold.blogspot.com/2010/02/taking-your-iphone-to-europe.html

Some good pointers in this blog.

 

[SoccermomMinneapolis]

Hi--we did the Viva Italia in June, 2009 and free internet was really only available at the McDonalds! Found one in Rome and another in Venice. Couldn't get my husband to leave once he figured it out. Hotel internet was a little spendy and not easy to use. Laundry in Tuscany! Bring your coins and detergent!

 

[going2dis]

Good to know about the laundry,too. The family is getting so excited now for this trip. Backpacks have arrived. Looking for restaurant choices for the meals on our own in some guidebooks. I'm sure the tour guides will have some good suggestions as well.

 

[GAN]

For dining I would try to stay off the beaten path -avoid restaurants in main piazzas, these are usually more expensive and in general geared towards catering to tourists. Everyone is different but we always try to hang where the locals go, and we can usually get some pretty good tips for the rest of our vacation. Also, in Rome almost everyone speaks English(to a fault) -in a restaurant they will approach you speaking English ...showing them you want to make an effort in Italian will go a long way. Learn a few simple phrases and Italians will be much more likely to accept you.

 

[going2dis]

As for dining, our plan is to try to find some local spots and not the touristy places. Anything you particularly liked in Rome or Florence ?

 

[GAN]

In Florence, I suggest Vini e Vecchi Sapori for a true taste of Tuscany. Of course everyone is different -but if you don't mind a small, cozy family-run restaurant where the menu changes daily and you may be seated with/near other people this would be the place. It's not the place I would suggest for an intimate, special-occasion meal ..although it could easily fit that bill. The prices are very fair and the food is wonderful -you would need to make a reservation because of it's small size. Try everything, no matter what -this coming from a fairly picky eater. We also went to Giglio Rosso which was "slightly" more formal but I must say I had a terrific Ribolita(which I had been anxiously waiting to try) and the rest of the food was very good. It is a little more touristy but there were definitely many locals that appeared to be regulars.

In Rome, we had a little different plan so we only ate at Tre Scalini, which is on Piazza Navona(near Pantheon) -it was very good but a little pricey which we expected since it's on the piazza. We stayed on the Piazza della Rotonda which is located by the Pantheon, so one night we grabbed some meats and cheeses at the deli(forget the name) located in this square and it was awesome with a nice bottle of wine outside.

If you want, check out this link for excellent info....

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187895-Florence_Tuscany.html

 

[ZeoliFamily]

We went on Viva Italia last June and in Rome and Venice we were able to purchase cards at the front desk with a fixed number of hours of internet access for a fairly reasonable price. We only had our iPad so we could all check email and facebook. It worked out pretty well. As someone else said access was free in Artimino but signal strength was best in the lobby.

BTW, this was an amazing vacation! Have fun!

 

[going2dis]

We are getting so excited.. Will probably buy a phone card to call back home and definitely check out some of the restaurant suggestions mentioned here. Thanks for all the great info..

 

[Joan1]

Caution on the phone cards. Not all phones will allow you the option to use them. Also with the phone card if you don't use it all you are kind of stuck with it

 

[PrincessSharon]

I was just on the May 26 trip. Internet at the hotel in Rome was 7 euros for 3 hours. There is free internet in the rooms in Artimino if you have a laptop, and free wifi in the lobby. We stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky in Venice and it was outrageous there. If I remember, it was 12 euros for an hour and 30 euros for 24 hours.

 

[corky441]

Hi Sharon
I didn't know you were going on the Viva trip. Dino and I are going on the Sept 22 trip.
We'll have to compare notes when we get back.
It seems like our ABD April trip was just the other day, hard to believe it's been over a year already
Thanks for the info on the Internet, I'll be taking my laptop and will need to do some work for a few hours while in Umbria

 

[going2dis]

@Sharon,

Enjoying your updates on pass porter boards as well. My 12 yr olds goal is to have gelato everyday. Nice picture of it in your update.. Sounds like there are great places on the trip. We are bringing iPods to check email..etc. I was nervous to bring my iPad and leaving it in the room during the day and dont want to carry it everywhere. With the iPod the wireless service in the lobby should be ok. We will also have internet in Naples pre-tour so we should be ok without it in Rome for a few days..

 

[PrincessSharon]

Marilee, you and Dino will love Viva. And I can't believe our trip was over a year ago. It really does seem like yesterday.

going2dis, I used my iPod most of the time, but since I brought my laptop (I have a compulsive need to back up my pictures), that allowed me to work in my room on the day we stayed at the hotel. It was much better than using wifi.