Caffe' Pretoriano

Italian internet

The closest bar to our apartment is Caffe Pretoriano which is owned and operated by our friends, Gianluca and his wife, Roberta. Gianluca is a native Ascolano while Roberta hails from Napoli and recently gave birth to their first child, Leonardo, which means that Gianluca now runs the bar mostly by himself.

Gianluca is always patient with my Italian language skills and we usually discuss the things that are different between Italy and in America. It is interesting, and sometimes scary, the views that Italians have of America, which are based mostly on what they see in movies or on television. Gianluca is also a good source of information for us as to what is going on in town and what events might be upcoming.

About a month ago Gianluca announced that he was going to have wireless internet for his bar and we looked forward to the possibility of a high-speed connection nearby. Here in Ascoli Piceno there are several internet points where you pay by the hour to use their computers but there is no free wireless service. In Albuquerque I frequently used the wireless available at various coffee shops and restaurants to check email while traveling around town during the workday, but here that is not as prevalent.

We kept asking when the wireless would be ready and Gianluca each time explained where he was in the paperwork and tax stamp process to get the necessary comune approval. In Italy when you go to an internet point you must provide documentation such as your passport and they record when you where there and for how long. This is the same process Caffe Pretoriano is going to have to use. This is part of Italy’s anti-terrorism efforts.

The other day Gianluca announced he finally had all the necessary approvals and that his wireless is now available for public use. Friday I took my laptop and went down for my post-pranzo caffe at Caffe Pretoriano and tried out their wireless connection which is much faster than the cell connections we have to use at our apartment. I was also the first to use Gianluca’s wireless and my name is #1 in his record book for customers.

So if you are in Ascoli Piceno and looking for a place to connect your laptop to the internet and enjoy a caffe or apertivo be sure to stop in at Caffe Pretoriano on Via Pretoriana just south of Piazza Roma. While you are there be sure to ask Gianluca about his son Leonardo.