There are two things you might be thinking of.

First, at cafes and bars in France as well as Italy, things like coffee, a glass of wine or a pastry are often priced differently if you are standing at the bar, sitting at an inside table, or sitting on the terrace. The difference can be significant, and the locals will generally be the folks standing at the bar.

Second, at restaurants in Italy, there's almost always a cover charge ("coperto" I belive, but my Italian is weak) added to the bill. It's like the cover charge in a nightclub in the US. That one's unavoidable, but it's rarely a lot.