Wifi in Italy

I recently traveled all over Italy and hot spots seemed to be in most hotels, B&Bs, and many bars/cafes. Many of the Internet Points that used to be on every street have converted to hot spots and no longer provide computers. Most Western Unions do have them, however, fees and documentation requirements vary, usually not more than 1 euro for 15 or 30 minutes, 2 euro for an hour.

I'd be interested in this, as well, but I bet if such a thing exists it won't be cheap. You are right, Miff, don't count on wifi hot spots in small-town Italy. Don't even count on it too much in big-town Italy. Often the best you will do is in your hotel lobby. Many hotels are now upgraded to wifi, but they really only have it in their public areas and the guest rooms may still have wired internet (if any). Best bet is still to ask about an internet point near your hotel, but if you are to be out in the countryside, all bets are off. Heck, sometimes PHONES don't even get decent signals when you're traveling off the beaten track.

The closest I've found would be the new TEP - (the old Fonmigo) out of London. I think it's about $a hundred or so for Italy alone for a couple of weeks...add France and it becomes a major expense.
They will deliver to your U.S. home for an extra $20.

At one time, Italy had some anti-terrorism laws that required users to be registered, or at least hot spots had to collect user info. This declined over the last years, and now I believe those requirements have been rescinded. But still as a result, if you look for networks, they will nearly all, or all, be secure, requiring a password. In Rome, I found wide availability of WiFi, not much experience in smaller towns. I do know that if you go the phone and data route, that will be very expensive. The up side is that even small towns will have some type of Internet available for public use, either an internet cafe, the hotel, or a bar; just maybe not WiFi.

If you have (or buy) an Italian phone, it can make the process easier. Both Rome and Arezzo (the cities I have spent the most time in) have communal wifi for which you register with an Italian phone number and they will text you a password, or something similar. It isn't widespread across the city (only in certain spots), so as far as using wifi for maps, etc, it won't be very helpful. But if you need it to send a few emails it can work. Like others have mentioned, coffee shops and hotels are other options.

I did the village italy tour last oct and most of the cities in the tour had free wifi in the lobby area. A few had free wifi in the rooms.

I did the village italy tour last oct and most of the cities in the tour had free wifi in the lobby area. A few had free wifi in the rooms.

I just purchased a gadget called a Mifi (it has not arrived yet). It is basically a mobile modem that elables 5 devices to connect. My understanding is that I will need to get a SIM card when I get to Italy.... and those cost about $1 per MB. I anticipate that I will have wifi in my hotels.... but am not certain if I will in the condo I am renting (they say it has wifi.... but I cant afford to get there and do without for 2 weeks since I have to work). The cost of the MiFi was $175 (that is unlocked and has SIM cards slots) and I will test it out in the US before I leave. I have an IPad that is not 3G (only wifi).... so the only way to get online is wifi..... and in smaller towns and a 9 hour time zone difference, I cant count on internet cafe's. Hope that helps your thoughts. I had never heard of a MiFi until a friend mentioned it.

Thanks to each of you for your helpful responses. I've decided to rent the pocket doodle from TEP. My total cost will be about $140. including delivery to my home before I leave. My next challenge is to learn how to use Skype.

Let me know how the skyping goes.

Miff, you already have picked a solution but let me post this for the benefit of any others with similar questions. This link AT&T data and call plans has a discussion about data use in Italy. If you look for my second post, it has a link to some compulsive who has outlined all the current data options available in Italy. (God bless the OCD among us. Without them there would not be an Internet.)