By Barbie Latza Nadeau for CNN – An Italian holiday may be a priceless experience for those who have enjoyed all this country has to offer. But the summer of 2023 will go down as one of the priciest in history after a slew of price gouging scandals at cafes and restaurants that have affected foreign tourists and Italians alike.
Take the couple charged 2 euros ($2.20) to cut their ham sandwich in half on the shores of Lake Como, or the young mother in the Roman seaside town of Ostia charged 2 euros to have her baby’s bottle heated in the microwave.
A pair of tourists were charged 60 euros ($65) for two coffees and two small bottles of water at the Cervo Hotel in Sardinia, although the owner told CNN the prices were plainly listed and the charge is mostly for the view over the expensive yachts of the nearby port.
Tourists were also charged 2 euros for an extra – empty! – plate near Portofino in northern Italy, and 10 cents for a sprinkle of cocoa on a cappuccino at a Lake Como coffee bar. Italian cafes rarely use cocoa on cappuccinos, hence why they justified the charge.
These cases, dubbed “crazy receipts” by local media, have been documented by the consumer protection group Consumerism No Profit, which reports a staggering 130% increase in prices in tourist areas in Italy this summer.
Easy Targets
It’s not just restaurateurs driving prices. High fuel and energy prices have made it an incredibly expensive summer.
The prices have become so out of control—some 240% higher than other Mediterranean destinations —that many Italians are abandoning their usual local haunts for their August vacations, instead opting for coastal countries like Albania and Montenegro, which don’t quite offer the same Italian charm or cuisine, but are affordable.
Even Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni took a short beach vacation in Albania this year, her office confirmed.
Worst offenders
One of the worst offenders are beachfront establishments which rent sunbeds and umbrellas.
In Puglia, daily rental for two sunbeds and one umbrella during the week averages 50 euros, and nearly double on the weekend, but further north, the price to sit in the front row on a crowded beach can be triple that, starting at around 150 euros ($163) a day during the week, especially in the more exclusive areas like Portofino—that is if the front row umbrellas aren’t already reserved by locals.
