Nancy's 100th post. (Nancy can't start a thread, so I am starting it for her, so she can post her 100th post joke.)

What a thrill...one hundred posts on Slow Travel Italy!

This is a story, not a joke...

Creative Use of the Fonino

While I was living in Sorrento, my landlord Andrea invited me to lunch with him, his Mom visiting from Tuscany, and his cousin Riccardo. Riccardo, who is a headlong kind of guy, a middle-aged rich kid from Napoli, drove us with elan down to Nerano, a seaside village not far from Sorrento. We pulled up smartly at his favorite fish restaurant and took a shady table on the open deck overlooking the beach and a little dock.

After we ordered wine and acqua, Riccardo had a discussion with the owner about the available fish. Soon, he was wailing like an infant and pounding his fists on the table--- he considered the fish of the day to be second-rate! (In Italy, there is first-class fish and below that, the rest. I never figured out exactly which was which.) Alarmed by the tantrum, the owner ran to the edge of the deck and made a call on his cell phone. Then he scurried inside, gathered his staff, and rushed plates of appetizers to our table.

I was totally happy with the frutti di mare, eating with gusto, while Riccardo sulked, and Andrea and his Mom reminisced. In a few minutes, we could see a small boat motoring on the horizon, heading toward us. The restaurant’s owner loped down to the beach and out to the end of the dock.. The boat pulled in, and the two men in it rummaged around in the bottom. A big fish changed hands--- the owner held it up in triumph. Riccardo shouted his approval. The fish was brought to our table for closer inspection while the boat resumed its voyage. The fish was discussed--- its size, type, clarity of eye, etc, then taken inside for preparation. Riccardo beamed and graciously poured everyone more wine.

(Anyone else got a fonino story?)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pauline,

Great story!
Though I wonder if it should be titled, "The Power of the fonino" ...

Congrats on your new Slow Traveler status!

I wish Nancy would post her "inner dialogue of a Florence bus-rider" piece. That is seriously one of the funniest things I have ever read. Please, Nancy, PLEASE!

have fun with my mom tomorrow!

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Originally posted by Shannon:
I wish Nancy would post her "inner dialogue of a Florence bus-rider" piece.

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I wish Nancy would just post her musings more often!
Great story Nancy!

I must have missed something - what is fonino? Does it mean tantrum? hot air?
Doris

In southern Italy, at least while I was there (1998-2000), "fonino" was the term for cell phone. I didn't have one, hadn't yet ever had one, and was pretty impressed with what Italians did with them.

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Originally posted by NancyLytle:
In southern Italy, at least while I was there (1998-2000), "fonino" was the term for cell phone. I didn't have one, hadn't yet ever had one, and was pretty impressed with what Italians did with them.

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fonino = telefonino

Ciao Deb, my american friend!!
I started to check back on slowtrav to look for you...lost your e-mail!!

Great board!! And being Italian I also gave some little advice!!
Love Love Love

My telefonino story:

Late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve at the family's house in Corchiano, I walked from the living room into the kitchen and noticed that every single person was on a phone. The 3 teenaged boys in the livingroom were playing games on their new Christmas present phones; in the kitchen my BIL and SIL were standing next to each other, one on the wall-mounted phone, the other on the portable extension having a "conference call" with someone driving to Corchiano from Rome; there were 7 other people all talking on their respective cells; one of nieces had my BIL's phone and was talking to her dad coming from Florence; I looked out the window and saw another friend in the yard on his phone; Nino was not talking, but was sitting at the table in front of 2 cellphones, diligently copying his 300+ entry address book from his old phone to his new one.

I was amazed when I heard a phone ring. I seemed to be the only one who noticed. I was fairly sure it wasn't mine, since it wasn't my ring, but after a minute I started to paw through all the coats hanging on the wallrack, since that's where the sound was coming from, my phone was in my coat pocket, and the the boys' favorite trick of the past few days had been to change the ring of any cellphone left laying around.

Just as I found my phone, the ringing stopped. I stood there, staring at it, expecting a "missed call" message, but there was none. Then my phone started ringing AND AGAIN there was sound of the other buzz-buzz-buzz I'd heard before.

I answered my phone and heard: "Maureen, sono io, Nino. It's someone calling from the gate; pick up the phone under the green coat, push the middle button and let them in... How fortunate that I was just entering your name in my new directory." I turned around and saw Nino, sitting at the table, cell phone to his ear, laughing.

Great stories!!

The first text message I ever received on a cell phone was in Rome from Tony da Roma. I was so shocked seeing this message in text that I phoned him and he said "why are you calling? I just sent you a text message."

Nancy is more than welcome to post more of her musings. In fact we have a section set up ready and waiting - www.slowtrav.com/mindseye/ - Nancy, do you want me to change your signature to link to it (now that you have done your 100th post and are a "regular").

And I think Maureen should post more stories too!!

I loved Maureen's 'fonino story...

Another one, not as good:

I received an email from a guy I hadn't seen in twenty-five years. He had tracked me down in Florence, where he was visiting on business from the U.S. He wanted to buy me lunch. Hey, I never turn down a free lunch, so we exchanged cell phone numbers and agreed to meet in Piazza della Signoria the next day at noon. I told him I would be at a cafe on the sunny side of the square.

The piazza was crowded as usual. I had an iced latte at the cafe and was day-dreaming of rooms where the women come and go talking of Michelangelo, when my fonino rang. It was my old acquaintance, asking where I was. "I'm in the piazza," I said. "So am I," he said. I got up. "I'm walking toward the center," I said. "Me, too," he said.

We decided to wave our free arms in the air while talking on our cell phones, a charming sight I'm sure. A few seconds later, we spotted each other some yards apart.

There was total silence on the phones. Time passed veeery slooowly while we mentally adjusted to the visual shock of twenty-five years of aging.

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Originally posted by NancyLytle:
Time passed veeery slooowly while we mentally adjusted to the visual shock of twenty-five years of aging.

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Certainly you have stayed the same as he aged!

This is my telefonino story.

I am at one of the offices of the town hall. Being really upset at one of the people working there for some kind of mistake (or negligence) they made.
I am running for town counselor ine the next elections, so I want to appear really serious and "political"...
It is about 15 minutes that I am explaining my complaint "in name of the community, the town ,the ancestors and all the etruscans and the man is taking me seriously when....
...the phone rings, and my MUPPET SHOW PHONE RING drops all my seriousness down the drain...
Litterally, the man gave me a pitiful look and yelled...next one please

LOL - wish I could get that ring on my phone. I always wonder how Chris's clients can take him seriously when his cell phone plays "Take me Out to the Ball Game."

ALEX!!!!
Ciao, la mia amica! How are my babies, Francesca and Matteo? Give them big hugs and kisses from their Zia Deborah.
Today is Mother's Day. So happy Mother's Day to you.
My grandson, Sage is now 8 mos. old. So we need to begin the negotiations for arranging the marriage of Francesca and Sage. I am sure she will not mind a handsome husband who is only a little younger than she. Right?
Yippee ... Cortona will not know what hit her if she ends up with Alessandra Federici as a town counselor. LOOK OUT, good-old-boys!
New e-mail is deborah.horn@petsburg.com. Send me some recent photos of the kids.

My telefonio story:
On my third trip to Italy, I decided that I needed a telefonio. I had no idea how many service providers there were, or if one was better than another. It was also my first exposure to SIM cards.
I walked into a Wind store in Roma and bought a Motorola TalkAbout.
With a VERY limited Italian, I struggled to understand the sales clerk's rapidly spoken instructions. And all of the display was in Italian, which I couldn't read. When I asked if there was an English version of the instruction manual, the sales clerk puffed out his chest and said: "But, madame, you are buying an ITALIAN telefonio!"
So, I meekly left the store with a telephone that I had little ability to use.
Thinking that perhaps, I would throw myself on the mercy of a sales clerk in the store just a few paces down the street, I walked into a TIM store.
The sales person was indeed willing to help. AFTER she spent several minutes lecturing me on my mistake of buying a telephone from someone who was selling WIND. She told me all about what bad reception WIND had compared to TIM and how I should have come to her first.
Then she took my phone out of my hands, opened the back, took out the WIND card; put in a TIM card; programmed the telephone in English; and handed it back to me. When I asked her what I owed her for the kind service, she just smiled slyly and said: "Go show the telephone to Enrico and give him this useless WIND card back. That will be my payment."
Somehow, I think the competition between them was personal.

Great WIND vs. TIM story, Deborah...!!!

I do still admire how you can have a cell phone in Italy that permits free incoming calls, and doesn't limit the 'time' you buy for the phone; it doesn't expire for a long time.

When I was living in Sorrento, many friends received incoming calls on their fonini but didn't place outgoing calls because their account was on zero. And the cell number stayed that way without expiring.

Hmmm.... in additon to gasoline prices, maybe we (in the U.S.) are getting a bit rippred off on our cell phone options.

Nah, not possible...

Well, I'll admit that I didn't have the guts to take the WIND card back to Enrico. That guy intimidated me! So now I have two Italian telephone numbers. One, TIM and one WIND. I just try to make sure that I use each card at least once a year to keep the number active. TIM does seem to have better coverage, so that is my primary. But I keep the WIND as an emergency back-up.
Is the free incoming still the case in Italy? And does that apply to incoming international calls?

Is the free incoming still the case in Italy? And does that apply to incoming international calls?[/QUOTE]

Ciao DEB!!!
I receive calls on my TELEFONINO -still with the muppet show ringtone-from all over, Italy, US and also one from Japan, but no charges yet for incoming traffic...the day they'll do it there will be a revolution.
Wait for my children's pictures coming soon!!!

Europe is way ahead of the US on cell phone plans. I hope someday SOON we get plans like they have.