Welcome to Italy, where the gelato is delicious but the price of the dessert will make you wince in disgust.
The Local (h/t Business Insider, Fox News) reports a couple of American tourists were purportedly duped into paying an exorbitant amount for local delicacies.
According to the report, James and Mariann Luciani decided they needed a nice treat after dinner, so they stopped by Bar il Caffè, which is close to the famed Trevi Fountain.
Of course, any shop close to a tourist attraction is bound to be a bit pricier than other locales, but this particular story quickly becomes ridiculous.
The Lucianis contend they paid a whopping €42 (about $56) for their dessert, an eye-popping sum since they paid around three to four euros elsewhere on their trip.
We previously told you about a man in London who was gouged for three bottles of water to the tune of $127 at the Wellesley Hotel. So consider this your second lesson of the week that buyer beware most definitely extends to the relatively relaxing endeavors of vacation.
Now the couple did what you might when given such a hefty bill and argued to no avail. In fact, the restaurant explained that the price was clearly marked on the menu at €13 for a gelato and the establishment even gave the couple something of a discount, negating the reported €2.50 per person fee.
Discounts aside, the Lucianis were steamed the next morning, so they brought police officials in on the tall tale. Seeing the menu, the police merely offered that this was indeed the listed price for what we have to assume is the best tasting ice cream in the known world.
Armed with only snark, James relayed, "We've been careful in watching out for pickpockets in Rome, but I never thought I would get scammed here." However, we feel having the best line in the story will hardly ease the pain of paying an audacious price for a couple of gelatos.
Bar il Caffè's manager spoke with The Local and explained, "An ice cream in this cup is big. You could have it for lunch!"
Right when we were ready to side with the travelers, the manager gives us the brilliant idea of having dessert as an actual meal and saves the day. In honor of this story, we plan on having a chocolate sundae for dinner.
The report continues with a reminder that Rome is more than a place for romance and delicious fare:
"The practice of overcharging tourists in Rome gained international headlines last summer, when a group of British tourists were charged €64 for four ice creams. The authorities were so embarrassed by the uproar that they were invited back to the city to experience the best of Italian hospitality."
The report also states a similar debacle played out on social media over a Sardinia bar that charged €20 for juice.
Rather than get mad, we suggest you get suspicious, checking every last Italian menu two, three and four times before ordering, because you never know when that extra basket of bread might cost you a plane ride home.
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