ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1144

ber: “r” = red; no indication or “n” = black, for nero . While usually black, B&B ad-
dresses can be either. The red and black numbers each appear in roughly consecutive
order on streets but bear no apparent connection with each other. While the numbers
are sometimes color-coded on street signs, in many cases they appear in neither red nor
black, but in blue! I'm lazy and don't concern myself with the distinction (if one num-
ber's wrong, I look nearby for the other) and can easily find my way around.
Chill Out: Schedule several cool breaks into your sightseeing where you can sit, pause,
and refresh yourself with a sandwich, gelato, or coffee. Carry a water bottle to refill at
Florence's twist-the-handle public fountains. Try the fontanello (dispenser of free cold
water) on Piazza della Signoria, behind the statue of Neptune (to the left of the Palazzo
Vecchio).
InternetAccess: Bustling,tourist-filledFlorencehasmanysmallInternetcafés. VIPInter-
net has cheap rates, numerous terminals, and long hours (€1.50/hour, daily 9:00-24:00,
nearrecommended hotelKattiHouseatViaFaenza49red,tel.[phone]). Internet
Train, the dominant chain, is pricier, with bright and cheery rooms, speedy computers,
and decent hours (€4.30/hour, cheaper for students, reusable card good for any other
Internet Train location, open daily roughly 9:00-20:00, www.internettrain.it ) . Find
branches near Piazza della Repubblica (Via Porta Rossa 38red),behind the Duomo(Via
dell'Oriolo 40),andonPiazza Santa Croce (Viade'Benci 36red).Internet Trainalsoof-
fers Wi-Fi, phone cards, and other services.
Most hotels have Wi-Fi. If you have a smartphone with an Italian mobile number,
you can access free Wi-Fi for an hour at various hotspots around town (the TI can give
you a list of hotspots and instructions).
Bookstores: Local guidebooks (sold at kiosks) are cheap, and give you a map and a decent
commentary on the sights. For brand-name guidebooks in English (including mine), try
Feltrinelli International (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:30, closed Sun, a few blocks north of the
Duomo and across the street from TI and Medici-Riccardi Palace at Via Cavour 12
red, tel. [phone]); Edison Bookstore (also has CDs, plus novels on the Renais-
sance and much more on its four floors; Mon-Sat 9:00-24:00, Sun 10:00-24:00, facing
Piazza della Repubblica, tel. [phone]); Paperback Exchange (cheaper, all books
in English, bring in your used book for a discount on a new one, Mon-Fri 9:00-19:30,
Sat 10:30-19:30, closed Sun, just south of the Duomo on Via delle Oche 4 red, tel.
055-293-460); or BM Bookshop (with perhaps the city's largest collection of English
books and guidebooks—including mine; Mon-Sat 9:30-19:30, closed Sun, near Ponte
alla Carraia at Borgognissanti 4 red, tel. [phone]).
Services: WCs are scarce. Use them when you can, in any café or museum you patronize.
Laundry: The Wash & Dry Lavarapido chain offers long hours and efficient, self-service
launderettes at several locations (about €7 for wash and dry, bring plenty of coins, daily