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Tourist scams in Italy that you shouldn't fall for
Italy is a beautiful historic country with culture from ancient Rome to the newer generation
of party-goers and revelry seekers.
With some of the best food, art, music, and wine in the world, Italy is at the top of
everyone's list to visit at some point.
Unfortunately, as with any famous large city, some scams target naive tourists and mistakes
that can ruin any vacation.
Here are some of the things to avoid when visiting Italy so that you have a wonderful
vacation.
First on our list is something that most tourists don't expect.
Do you want to have your picture taken with a Roman gladiator?
Well, it turns out you should watch who you allow into your selfies.
As it turns out, people dressing as Roman Gladiators was outlawed in Rome around 2015.
However, plenty of scammers still do it and will wait till you have taken a picture with
them to begin pestering you for money.
They know very well that tourists are expecting to take plenty of pictures and will jump at
the chance to trick you out of any money they can get.
If you want a real picture opportunity, try going to a show or finding a professional
photographer - you might be pleasantly surprised with the quality of photos you bring home
with you!
Here's another one that you may not be expecting as a tourist - the rose scam.
Imagine a romantic evening with your partner, complete with music and fine dining, and someone
slips a rose to the love of your life.
They will instinctively take it so as not to be rude, but therein lies the rub!
Once accepted, that rose is gonna cost ya.
And what happens if you don't want to buy it?
Well, you might look like a jerk refusing a rose for your date right in the middle of
dinner!
A good rule of thumb here is simply to ignore strangers that come up to you offering goods
in an aggressive or intrusive manner.
They are all looking to make a few bucks on something you can generally find at any shop
for half the price, not to mention you'll get a receipt if you purchase at a brick-and-mortar
store.
This way, you can be assured that defective products can be returned!
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Taxis seem to pop up on these lists pretty often, and Italy is no exception.
Meters can be manipulated to inflate travel price, and drivers can even take long detours
to drive up the cost, thus ensuring that you've spent way more money than is necessary for
what is likely a short trip across the city.
Uber and public transit are two ways to ensure that you are paying a fair price for any journey,
and you never know - you might even meet some interesting people along the way!
If a taxi is the only option and you're in a hurry, be sure to check the meter before
your trip begins and keep an eye on the map, so you don't get chauffeured around the scenic
route just to "drive" up prices.
Rome seems to be full of unique strategies for scammers to part you with a few euros
in any way possible.
One such scam is the "well-dressed person" scam, where someone in a nice outfit will
pull or walk up to you asking for directions.
Somehow, they ask how to get to a place you know, which is the first sign that something
might be off.
Next thing you know, they're offering you a designer clothing item at an obscene discount
since you were so nice to them.
Of course, they're also running out of gas from being lost all day, so a couple of euros
seems like a great way to help them out.
Unfortunately, the clothing you've been offered is a crappy knock-off that isn't worth the
cloth it's cheaply printed on.
The best thing to do here is simply shrugging as if you haven't heard of the place they're
looking for and moving on with your day.
Pickpockets are something to watch out for in every major city, especially when you're
an obvious tourist that carries a wallet in your back pocket.
These people have practiced for years and are very skilled at creating a slight distraction
- just enough to throw your attention off - while an accomplice relieves you of any
items in your pockets.
And just like that, you're stranded and broke with no passport or photo ID, no hotel room
key, and no phone.
This is definitely a vacation ruiner, so be extra careful when using public transit systems
where large crowds are often forced together close.
There are several ways to avoid being pickpocketed in even the busiest places, though, so rest
assured you can still take the bus or subway since they are often the most cost-effective
ways of traveling.
Using a fanny pack or any zipper pack will make it harder to use the distraction move
since it is located on your front side and within view.
Some purses and bags are lockable, so you don't have to worry about keeping your eye
on them quite as vigilantly.
It is also best not to give your children any money to carry themselves, as they will
be constantly distracted by all the new sights, sounds and smells along your intriguing journey.
Another thing you might not expect in the most exclusive parts of Italy is to be charged
simply for sitting down instead of standing.
Real estate can be scarce in the most popular cafes, so the local business owners have devised
a way to reduce crowding.
While it does make sense when you think about it from an efficiency standpoint, the idea
of incurring an extra charge for being seated at a table rather than standing at a bar is
something that many people are not expecting.
Be sure to ask one of the locals about which places employ this practice, as it isn't done
at every cafe in Italy.
If it's a fancy place where many people seem to be standing when there are seats available,
you might think twice before plopping down and assuming you're just quicker than the
other people there!
While Rome is certainly one of the most famous cities for romance, there are certain people
you have to watch out for.
One such type is the pappagallo, named after the Italian word for a parrot.
They repeat the same romantic lines repeatedly to ladies that are alone or in pairs, seeming
to make them feel completely comfortable and adored.
They might offer you conversation at first, letting you feel like the only attractive
person in the world to them.
Before you realize what's going on, they offer to take you out to dinner or a show.
But this is where the harmless flirting turns into a dirty scam.
They are, after one thing, and I'm betting you've guessed it by now.
That's right; they repeat these lines every day to unsuspecting people with the hopes
of bedding them and perhaps receiving a free meal in the process.
Once they're in your room, nothing is off-limits.
They know where you are likely to keep your valuables and have no problem taking everything
from under your nose.
Rest assured, they will never contact you again and will be out there in the same spot
tomorrow repeating the same lines that unfortunately have worked for years on naive tourists.
Tourists love souvenirs, and Italy boasts some of the most highly sought-after designer
clothing and accessories the world has to offer.
Unfortunately, this comes with a price - scammers are salivating at the opportunity to sell
you cheap knock-offs, often claiming to know someone or have a connection that gets them
at factory prices.
You will end up spending way more than the product is worth.
Since you're comparing prices with items ranging in the thousands of dollars, hearing a price
in the hundreds can seem like a good bargain.
But rest assured, you are far overpaying for someone who faked a logo and glued it onto
the cheapest product they could find or make that looks similar to the designer original
you've seen in stores for way more than you can afford.
And if that's not bad enough, getting caught with counterfeit designer items in Italy can
come with a hefty penalty of up to ten thousand euros!
So what began as a discount handbag turns into you spending enough to have bought the
genuine designer product, to begin with!
Italy can certainly be a memorable vacation dripping with romance, great food and wine,
the best coffee in the world, and virtually limitless cultural experiences, but only if
you're savvy enough to avoid the scams that plague the tourism industry in so many ways.
Not to worry, though, if you've paid attention here, you're well-informed and ready to travel
fearlessly into the Roman sunset!
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