We don’t have wi-fi. We talk to one another

Okay, so I love this sign posted (in English) outside a bar – the Italian word for ‘café’ – close to my home in Rome.

The first time I noticed it I enjoyed a hearty chuckle. Soon I’ll be back in NY, and there you can find plenty of cafés where people are completely zoned out, staring mindlessly at their various electronic devices.

But I love this Roman café that says no to wi-fi, and even encourages clients to speak with one another, to dialogue with real, live people, rather than the social media “friends” we’ve never even met.

Not all progress is good, and while Italians are as attached to their smart phones as anyone, there is also a social element to daily life in Italy that I believe salvages the situation. People do talk to one another. Face to face. Differences of opinion, different politics and all. Even – oh, the horror! – fans of different soccer teams, although, in all honesty, that might be the most difficult obstacle to surmount in the bel paese…

So grazie to one of my local cafes for stating the obvious. Maybe we can all benefit from refusing to access the wi-fi  and getting back to – well – talking to one another once again.

I’m one step ahead since my Stone Age-era Nokia doesn’t have wi-fi access anyway, so looking forward to chatting over cappuccino…