I have been staying in a small apartment in Orvieto, Italy, since early this month. We have a small kitchen, but no TV or internet. I don’t miss TV. But, briefly, I missed my Internet connection. At first, I panicked. Where would I work? How would I get email?

My panic was short-lived; on our second day, I found my connection. The Caffè Del Corso is a short walk up from our place on the ancient stone Corso Cavour—Orvieto’s main street. Most mornings, afternoons and some evenings, I have worked from my laptop at the cafe. On warm days, I worked outside. Now the cool and sometimes wet fall weather has arrived, so I’ve moved inside where there are fewer tables but more heat. My habit is to walk to the coffee bar and greet the mother or one of the two sons running the espresso machine. Then I order my first cappuccino, and after an hour or two, a second or third. Once in a while, when my stomach is growling, I order a flaky pastry; it’s a sparse breakfast, but Italians save their appetites for lunch. Generally, every Italian passing through picks up a pastry and eats it within a minute as each downs an espresso or cappuccino.

Oh ja, das kann ich in the most suitable wayätigen - und ebenfalls, dass ich vor 10 Jahren ( ist das jetzt schon wieder so lange her?!? ) an der Ecke Via Ripetta 2 x 2 Wochen lang bestens geschlafen habe - allerdings "nach hinten 'raus". Der große "Go to sleep" unserer Truppe jedoch hat sich nicht ganz selten über den nächtlichen Lärm am Corso beschwert.