Originally Posted by
catchatiger
As to the person who was charged 20 euro for a sandwich, you were certainly under no obligation to purchase this sandwich unless you ate it before asking the price. Mobile food carts near tourists sights always sell items at a huge markup. The buyer needs to accept some amount of responsibility.
Absolutely agree. I was in Paris last weekend. I ate a sandwich with bottled water at an outdoor cafe on the Champs-Elysees. For myself and my companion, who ate the exact same thing, we paid 25 euros. Practically highway robbery! But it was the view we were paying for. Nothing special about the sandwiches.
Originally Posted by
Kalboz
You've been lucky ... count your blessings!
True enough that you get good and bad everywhere ... but this is more prevalent in Rome and maybe Napoli rather than up north.
Thanks, but no need to count any blessings here. Italians in the north are typically not so friendly. Italians in the south are extremely friendly. I live in the north, yes. But, I've travelled throughout all of Italy and no one has ever stiffed me. I've never seen anyone get stiffed. I know a very large amount of ex-pats here and none of them have ever been stiffed. I have spent a great deal of time in Rome and this is never an issue. Naples, again, never an issue. Just gotta be careful for pickpockets, that's all. Italians often live in fear of the police, especially the Guardia di Finanza. Not because the police go around beating people up, just that they can create alot of problems for a businessperson if they've been reported to be unethical. I can guarantee you with almost certainty, this restaurant did not make a fiscal receipt (una ricevuta fiscale) with the 980 euros total on it. This would've been a tax of somewhere north of 150 euros. They just gave them a handwritten receipt without IVA on it. This would've meant that when the authorities arrived, they would've had more than just health concerns.