Originally Posted by
Perche
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I will say once again that in my opinion, Trip Advisor is worse than worthless in Italy.
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Even without the potential alleged corruption and manipulation of ratings, Trip Advisor is not necessarily a reliable resource in Italy. A visitor from an English-speaking country goes to a restaurant and is served a good meal with charming service at a decent price – and inspired by the limoncello 'on the house' writes a top review; attracting other visitors from English-speaking countries who do the same... A self-fulfilling prophecy. It's true that if the establishment doesn't come up to scratch it won't maintain a high ranking for long – but the point is that there are such a high proportion of restaurants in Italy that serve a good meal with charming service at a decent price, that Trip Advisor ratings and reviews should be taken as no more than a vague indication of places to consider – and certainly not as a bible.