A couple of tourists from America were shocked after they gave 42 euros for three Italian gelato and a bottle of water in a cafe in the center of Rome.
Having lunch in the center of the Eternal City, James and Mariann Luciani decided to drop into the small cafe Bar il Caffe near the Trevi Fountain. A couple from America opted for world-famous Italian ice cream. Taking into account their previous experience in buying gelato, James and Marianne expected to pay from 3 to 4 euros per serving. How shocked they were to see a bill of 42 euros!
Luciani immediately turned to the cafe administrator, but later it was found out that there was no blame for the institution: the Americans simply did not look at the menu, which shows all the prices, according to which the Italian dessert costs 13 euros. The waiter explained that the couple even received a small discount of 2.50 euros.
“We just paid 59 euros for lunch, which included a liter of wine. And now we had to pay 42 euros for gelato!"James indignant." Before that, we carefully monitored the condition of our wallets, but who would have thought that such an unpleasant incident could await us here! "
In the end, a couple from America had to pay the bill, but they doubted that the state allowed such prices, and the next day returned to Bar il Caffe, but this time with the police. Having discussed what happened with the two parties, law enforcement officers looked at the institution’s menu and confirmed the institution’s arguments: the couple Luciani was entirely and completely to blame in this case. Moreover, the prices at Bar il Caffe were not at all embarrassed by the cops, in their opinion, the indicated cost of dishes corresponded to the norms.
Spouses from the United States still had to admit defeat. “I should have checked the menu,” James said later, while telling them that they had previously eaten in cafes and restaurants in Rome, but had never encountered such problems anywhere.
The manager of Bar il Caffe assured that he was an “honest man” and that he was not guilty of an unpleasant incident. "I advise foreigners to still read the menu," he said, refusing to set the price of the menu on a stand at the cafe entrance. "Italy is different from other countries. Here the prices at the bar and the rest of the cafe can be very different." “There is a lot of gelato in this horn,” said the manager of the ill-fated institution, considering a portion of the dessert, which cost the Americans tens of euros. "You can have it for a whole lunch!"
It is worth noting that Luciani are not the only visitors to Bar il Caffe who complained about local prices. Many even call this place a "tourist trap." So, reviews about Bar il Caffe on TripAdvisor are far from flattering. 25 out of 28 unsubscribes gave the lowest rating to this cafe. A tourist from the UK, who happened to be here earlier this month, advises everyone to "avoid visiting" the above institution, complaining that he had to pay about 30 euros for two drinks.
The question of the similar behavior of Italian bars and cafes attracted the attention of the press last summer after two Englishmen had to leave 64 euros for two gelato in some institution. Such an incident took the authorities of Rome by surprise, and they decided to again invite offended tourists to the capital of Italy in order to smooth out the first unpleasant impression of the country.
By the way, sky-high prices in entertainment establishments in Italy can be found not only in Rome, but also in other parts of the country. Last August, the Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore on his social media pages smashed one of the bars of Sardinia to the nines after the juice cost him 20 euros.
