Restaurant Scams in Cinque Terre, Italy

How it works

Waterfront and harbor-view restaurants in Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare routinely charge a coperto (cover charge) of €3–6 per person that is rarely disclosed verbally, added automatically to the bill along with a servizio (service charge) of 10–15%, occasionally on top of each other. Some establishments also list menu prices for pasta or seafood that are described as "market price" (prezzo di mercato) with no figure given, then present a bill significantly higher than expected — reports of €80–120 for a two-person meal of pasta and wine are common. In a few documented cases, tourists were charged for bread or water they did not explicitly order.