Pronto Soccorso CTO

I was pleasantly surprised at the professionalism and care given by the Pronto Soccorso CTO when I broke my kneecap on my first day in Italy. Everyone was very helpful and concerned for my comfort. After my initial exam and x-​rays (which occurred soon after I arrived), I had to wait for the diagnosis and next steps, but nothing like what I have experienced in American emergency rooms.
My biggest complaint is that the doctor who provided the initial assessment (and spoke some English) was not the same doctor who provided the diagnosis and after-​care instructions. This was a problem because only the triage doctor, Dr. Lorenzo Giannelli, spoke English and the doctor giving me the really important «here’s what you did and how we’re going to treat you» did not speak any English.
I had to insist (in my best elementary Italian) that I was not leaving until Dr. Giannelli spoke with me to make sure I understood everything that was happening, and all of my instructions. Luckily, he was very friendly, courteous, and thorough. He willingly answered all of my questions, and scheduled a time for my follow up visit a week later so that he could write my doctors note IN ENGLISH, which turned out to be a requirement of Lufthansa allowing me to fly home!
It’s scary to have a medical emergency in a foreign country and it is nice that there are people like Dr. Giannelli who make things a little easier.