Very Funny Take on Italian Travel Customer Service!

Laura Ramoso - she’s so funny! I love her travel bits!!!

Molto divertente!

That was funny. It reminds me of two seperate trips that include the Amalfi Coast where I can always count on unique customer service. Excerpts from my Trip Reports; the first two from 2023 and the 3rd from 2014.

we weren’t sure where to go so we head for a TI booth. There was a smiling 5-year-old manning the booth who greeted us, and someone who I assume was his grandfather at the back of the booth. The young guy called out that we needed help and after a few minutes the guy came forward and stared at us-not saying a word. With my gesturing, poor Italian and some english I asked for a map and how to get to the Path of the Lemons. He looked at me with a scowl, yelled out NO, and turned his back.

That was in Minori. Then the next day as we stepped off the boat on Capri to buy bus tickets to Anacapri....

we were the only ones in line and stood in front of the glass fronted booth for 10 seconds or so while the woman inside was on her phone. Not knowing if she noticed me, I tapped on the window. She promptly and firmly stuck her finger up in the air in a ‘just a moment sign’ and kept texting for at least 73 more seconds-plus the time it took me to start the stopwatch on my phone as I became amused at how long this was taking. Finally, with phone still in hand she looked up at me, with no smile or verbal response and waited for me to place my order for tickets. The whole time, the RS advice to “roll with it, you’re in Italy,” was running through my head.

But my first "Italian" experience was before I'd ever been. This was 2014 and we were planning our first overseas visit and I was comparing two day-tours;

I narrowed my decision down to two companies for an excursion that included Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. But one was significantly cheaper than the other. So, I sent a message to find out what was included. The cheaper company messaged back that everything was included and not to worry, and so I started worrying and asked very specific questions about what was included. Finally, I got a message back that said, “Everything is included, unless it’s not.” I went with the other company.

I loved this. I remember changing flights in Rome to Sicily with 2 separately booked airlines. I couldn't find a baggage check for transfers, like I had used in Dublin maybe, so I went to the information booth. He said, "They are small enough. Take aboard. Italia Airlines will lose your bags." I did carry on a roll aboard, a large tote & my purse and no one said a thing.

She is very funny!
Watch her “German mother” skits…🤣

I can’t recall any bad or weird service in Italy, but last year in Paris while lining up at the Musee d’Orsay to enter with my pre-booked ticket I realized I might be in the wrong lineup.
I flagged down a passing security guard to ask for help and he turned round and loudly said NO! and walked away.

Yes, she is entertaining!

When she said the familiar “Allora”, I immediately thought, “I need to go back there.” (Heart).

Jean, yes, I simply LOVE that word "Allora"!
In fact, I had a T-shirt made for my husband last Christmas with that lone word.
I think the funniest part for me was the absolute delight she takes in the luggage being overweight!

Once I was flying Virgin Atlantic then Alitalia to Rome via Heathrow. I needed something from the Alitalia help desk at LHR, so I went there to the counter. The Alitalia young lady was on the phone talking in Italian and I could clearly hear she was talking with her mother or sister on personal matters. After waiting several minutes for her call to end, I impatiently told her (in Italian) that I needed some information as I was in a hurry to catch my plane to FCO. She answered "Ma non vede che sono al telefono per una chiamata importante?" (Can't you see I'm on the phone on a very important call?). That company deserved to go bankrupt. Hopefully ITA is not as bad, but I've not tried them yet.

Allan , thanks for sharing your humorous stories! I feel like whenever we travel to Italy we are almost guaranteed to come home with a very funny story or two.

“Everything is included, unless it’s not.”

Allan, that is such a great summary of so much that I love about Italy! Mellowing out in Italy because it all goes much better that way is my Italian vacation mindset. But if I had to live there full-time, my Type A organized personality would go crazy!