Please help me reach out to the person who found our memory card!

August 14, 2008 4:13 AM

What would you do if you found a memory card? Have you found our memory card in Rome, Italy?

We've lost our Sony memory card in Rome, Italy, during our vacation at the end of July. It probably fell out of our bag while sitting on the benches on Piazzale Ugo La Malfa, near Circo Massimo. It was in its plastic encasing, so it's fairly protected and a bit easier to spot than 'just' a memory card. We probably lost it on the 25th of July.*
I know the odds of the card being found are slim and the odds of retrieving it are even slimmer, but I really have to try for my own piece of mind.

So, if you're a Roman/Italian and found a memory card, what would you do?
Or, if you're a tourist in Rome and found a memory card, what would you do?

On which Italian or English websites/forums/boards would you post? Which site with advertisements do I have to keep an eye on? Where could I place advertisements myself? Would you bring it to the police (and how can I contact them if that's the case)? What is the Italian equivalent to Craigslist?

I want to maximize the odds that if there is indeed someone trying to find the owner of our memory card, he will be able to find us.
I'm already keeping an eye on Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures and I've posted an ad on The Found Bin and Lost and found now.


Last part of my question:
Can you help me write a short Italian version of this question I could post on the Roman Craigslist? The contact information you should mention is lostandfoundinrome at hotmail dot com.

Of course, I will gladly offer a reward to the person who finds the memory card!

Grazie mille!

*If any Roman living in the neighbourhood happens to feel very warm-hearted and compassionate and would be willing to go look on the Piazzale, he/she would earn my eternal gratitude and some great Belgian sweets!

posted by lioness to grab bag (16 comments total)

I'd dump the raw pics on the web somewhere, and re-use the card. Have you tried Google? If there isn't a found camera group on flickr, there should be...
posted by Leon at 4:21 AM on August 14, 2008

I don't know how to help you, but this just popped into my mind, and I'll share it: If I picked up a memory card, the first thing I'd do is pop it into my computer and look at the photos. Tonight, I'm going to go write my name and contact details on an index card and take a photo of it on every memory card I own. When I transfer photos off the card, I'm keeping that photo on.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:30 AM on August 14, 2008 [11 favorites]

At this late date, I would think you're out of luck unfortunately. That's a highly trafficked area and between locals, tourist, and street sweepers I'd say your chances are lower than 'slim'.

On which Italian or English websites/forums/boards would you post?
Porta portese, under Smarrimenti
Wanted in Rome
You might also try contacting the city's lost items office.

Other than that, I really don' have an good ideas, since whenever I've lost something I chalk it up to C'est la vie.

My written Italian is so-so, but:

Scheda memoria Sony [model info here] smarrito in Piazzale Ugo La Malfa o nelle vicinanze intorno il 25 luglio. Ricompensa per recupero. Contatta lostandfoundinrome at hotmail dot com

That's pretty basic (and I can't think of the freaking word to describe the case right now).

You'd do better to have more identifying information though, such as what was on the card, ie description of a photo with yourself or anything that's not just one of Rome's monuments.
posted by romakimmy at 5:36 AM on August 14, 2008

I would check out the website ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com This is a site where people all over the world post about finding cameras, photos, memory cards etc. I has reunited many a tourist to their lost memories!
posted by maxg94 at 5:41 AM on August 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

This won't help you now, but for future reference, here is a utility you can install on USB sticks/memory cards/etc. to have them pop up a "If found, please contact..." message when they're inserted on a Windows PC.
posted by DecemberBoy at 5:44 AM on August 14, 2008

Return of Personal Items by Mission Italy Consular Sections

When personal items belonging to U.S. citizens are delivered to a Consular Section, the Consular Section will only accept items having an approximate value of $50.00 or more and that include identifying information. Consular Section staff will attempt to locate the rightful owner through contact information available and inform him/her of the postage cost required to return the item. When the funds are received from the owner, the Consular Section will ship the item/s to the address provided. If the required funds for appropriate postage are not received within 30 days, the item/s will be donated to a charity.

Offices for lost properties in the city of Rome

Main office: Circonvalazione Ostiense, 19 - Tel: [phone].
Public Bus system (ATAC): via Volturno 65 - Tel: [phone].
Termini Train Station: via Giolitti 34 - Tel/Fax: [phone] (c/o Deposito Bagagli)

Offices for lost properties in the city of Milan

Main office: Tel: [phone] (8:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday) or fax: [phone].
Central Train Station: Tel: [phone] (7:00 am - 8:00 pm, everyday)

Offices for lost properties in the city of Florence

Main office: via Circondaria 17/B - Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone] - email: [e-mail]
Public Bus system (ATAF): via Pratese 105 - Tel: [phone] or 055-565-0429 or 055-565-0220.
Santa Maria Novella (central) Train Station: via V. Fonda 5 - Tel: [phone] (c/o Deposito Bagagli)

Offices for lost properties in the city of Naples

Main office: via G.B. Marino 7a Fuorigrotta (NA) - Tel: [phone].
Public Bus system (ANM): Tel: [phone]
posted by watercarrier at 5:56 AM on August 14, 2008

I'd contact some Italian bloggers and ask them what they'd do and what the most likely scenario would be if someone found it at that site. If anyone would know, or would have some tips to help you out - it'd probably be them.

Oh - also post to Craigslist, Rome.
posted by watercarrier at 6:02 AM on August 14, 2008

Belgian Embassy in Rome, since from her posting history it seems lioness is Belgian.
posted by romakimmy at 6:28 AM on August 14, 2008

I'd look on it and see if there was any way I could ID who it belongs to. If I can tell, then I'd try to contact them. The includes going through the pictures and looking on different sites/fora I could ask.

If not, I've got myself a new memory card. Yeah, I might sound like a dick for that. And I'm prepared for the backlash that may come my way.

It comes from early in my schooling when I found some stuff and brought it up to the office so they could give it back to the person it belonged to. Nobody came to claim it, but the office kept it. So I hold onto things until I know that I can give it back to the person it belongs to.
posted by theichibun at 7:13 AM on August 14, 2008

To clarify: there is absolutely no identifying information on the memory card, just the usual holiday pictures.

I could describe them, but they're really the usual, ordinary holiday pictures everyone takes in Rome. Several are of monuments, landscapes and a bunch of friends. Lots and lots of pictures are of Mr Lioness and me, as it was our first holiday together, which is why I'm so upset about this.

I know I should have reacted more quickly to losing the card, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I didn't know any earlier about the card being lost. Which frustrates me to no end of course. However, chances of retrieving the card were already incredibly small even if I had known the next day, so, well, *sigh*.
posted by lioness at 8:01 AM on August 14, 2008

Did you have a chance to download any of the pictures off the card before you lost it? You can post a picture of Mr Lioness and you and ask if anyone's found the memory card with that picture. Everyone has pictures of the coliseum but no one's going to have THAT picture.
posted by desjardins at 9:02 AM on August 14, 2008

oh, find out where Italians blog and see if you can start a blog (in English and as much Italian translation as you can) and try to bump it up on Google by getting all your friends to link to it. Befriend a popular Italian blogger and plead your case. Hook up with the Italian ex-pat community and seek suggestions from them.
posted by desjardins at 9:04 AM on August 14, 2008

Actually, the picture of you and Mr Lioness in Rome doesn't have to come from THAT card. Obviously you have other pictures of the two of you, or just take one and post that. Post it all over the place, in Italian Flickr groups if possible. People who find memory cards might just be interested in photography...
posted by desjardins at 9:06 AM on August 14, 2008

If I found it I would download the pics and try to do some detective work (ah, you're wearing a sweatshirt that says Mariners in pic 341 . . . Seattle craigslist!) and post some of the pics on my blog along with my guesses as to who you are, what you did for a living and create a little story about you and your vacation.

I'd probably even buy a memory card reader to see the pics if it didn't fit the formats I have.
posted by arnicae at 9:23 AM on August 14, 2008

Did you have a chance to download any of the pictures off the card before you lost it? You can post a picture of Mr Lioness and you and ask if anyone's found the memory card with that picture.

Playing in this and my original "I'd publish them" thought, there are companies that will search the web for copyright-infringing photographs. I'm now clutching at (expensive) straws, though.
posted by Leon at 9:56 AM on August 14, 2008

Seconding everything Romakimmy wrote, but chances are slim.
Once I found a bag of CDs and hard drives that was stolen from a guy, went through a couple of them and found his contact info, but that might be just me. Keep in mind that as for most italian cities there's probably an (at least) weekly street washing, so the timeframe for someone actually finding the card before it gets swept away is considerably narrower.

There's also a Craigslist Rome (Craigslist is not as popular in Italy as it is in the US, though). Also, you could post on kijiji.it (link goes to the lost+found in Rome).

me, if I were in Rome I'd go have a look if only for the Belgian sweets (yum)
posted by _dario at 12:54 PM on August 14, 2008