Computers in the Piazza

by Deanna Titzler

The town of Old Cagli centers on the piazza. This is the meeting place of the Cagliese, and many gather here in the mornings and evenings to meet with friends, drink a glass of vino, and relax from the day’s activities.  Free wifi is offered in the piazza, which many Gonzaga students, including myself, discovered shortly after our arrival in town.

In order to link into the wifi system, you need to have an Italian mobile phone, as the password for accessing the Internet is sent via text message to your phone. Ironically, this is one of the few times I have used my phone in Italy.  While the strength of the wifi signal varies, most of us have found it workable for our daily communication needs.

However, when we sit in the piazza with our laptops and iPads on our laps, working or looking at our email or Facebook, we stand out.  As I look around at the locals, no one else has their computers out. Rather, they sit back, chat, laugh, and eat their gelato while observing life in the piazza.  Granted, we students have many deadlines in this program, which require us to work in the evenings.   

For me, I’d much prefer to be sitting outside in the cool breeze, work on my projects, and sip on wine rather than work in my small apartment.  But, this is just one more example of how life is different in Italy than in the United States.  Many Americans would think it normal to pull out their mobile devices when in restaurants or at social gatherings to check out the weather forecast, the game scores, or text with friends.  Here, it is outside the norm.

Interestingly, the number of laptops pulled out in the piazza has dwindled over the past week.  I believe this is due to the acculturation we have encountered during our time in Cagli.  We have made friends with the Cagliese, and now enjoy sitting in the local cafes, discussing our day, sharing a bottle of vino, and enjoying life.