When the internet got knocked out due to "clouds and mountains" according to the host of my Cinque Terre accommodations in Biassa, I had to find somewhere on a Sunday to get some wifi. The library was closed, and my electronics strangely would not recognize public wifi elsewhere... Such as Coop (grocery store/mall nearby) or McDonald's (well, it picked it up, but given they require me to get an SMS code on my cell, I couldn't get their wifi, as I had no activated cell). So came Caffe' Diamante to the rescue!
Even before I ordered anything, the owner/server allowed me to sign onto his wifi. (I wanted to make sure it worked before I committed to eating again, since I had literally just eaten while checking out Coop's wifi situation). It worked! So, I ordered my 2,50 salami sandwich and sat down... for five hours. Granted, there were no outlets that I could use, since I have one of those "round" European adapters, while the ones in the cafe were those two-pronged ones that are slightly thinner and closer in distance between the prongs. But, my laptop battery mysteriously lasted the full five hours, and the owner/server didn't give me the evil eye one bit. In fact, he smiled as authentically as a man at peace with the world could when I handed him a note on one of his napkins in what I knew was broken Italian (thanks to Google's not-so-good translator) to thank him for allowing me to be there so long. Granted, I didn't take a table from anyone waiting for one, and this is the type of place where locals would stream in and out to take their latte--or first glass of wine for the evening--and read the paper. But, still... 2,50 for a sandwich and five hours of peace?! Plus, he even charged my phone (my GPS) behind the counter when it died. And, there's a clean bathroom... with toilet paper and soap!
As for the sandwich, it was standard for Italy.
Bottom line: Caffe' Diamante came to the rescue and did it in style. This is the definition of a small business worth frequenting. read more