Nice piece by Eleonora Baldwin in The American In Italia entitled “Don’t You Dare. Directed at the restaurants, not the clientele, but useful insight for the traveler.
Posted by
near San Francisco
5252 posts
Perhaps her follow up piece will be the Don't You Dare, Tourist Version. Undoubtedly that's been written many times.
Reading the article makes me cringe. I feel fortunate to be able to travel in times and places where everything feels more relaxed.
A meal a couple of nights ago in Dresden, with an easily available front row table viewing the beautifully reconstructed Frauenkirche, offered relaxed, unhurried service.
Posted by
616 posts
I do not recognize Italian restaurants in this article. I find it biased. I am not Italian but live in Florence part of the year.
I will come back to it more in details, later.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4656 posts
Haven't we seen these in any highly touristed main street/square restaurant? I've seen it in many places I have traveled, but haven't been in Italy since 2002. Many tourists find a number of these'no-nos' comforting.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8865 posts
Re: acchiappinos I cant help but note that restaurants are in business to make money, and there's a lot of competition, So they need to do what they need to do. It seems to work. Like MariaF says, many people prefer easy to authentically charming.
Posted by
8104 posts
We love Italy and we have been there many times. We haven't experienced many problems in Italian restaurants. After my first visit decades ago, I learned all about cover charges, which usually are not significant. We actually prefer the slower service instead of some US restaurants that want you to eat and go.
I did have a terrible time once in Athens back in 1985, when a restaurant tried to scam me on the final bill. I simply paid what I though was fair instead of the bill (it was about four times what it should have been) and walked out of the restaurant.
I always check the menu and prices, including the cover charge and to determine if service is included. It the menu doesn't expain very well, I ask questions.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10559 posts
I do not recognize Italian restaurants in this article. I find it biased. I am not Italian but live in Florence part of the year.—françoise
It’s not worth dissecting, nor is this “all” Italian restaurants but just the author’s opinion of what to avoid. The author uses Italy but it could be for any tourist in any tourist destination.