How to Spot Italian Food Scams For Tourists While on Holiday

Nowadays, talking about Italian cuisine means everything and the opposite of everything: the debate on what is traditional or not has become increasingly heated, starting from the American origins of carbonara. One thing, however, is never questioned: the quality of what you eat. With the arrival of the beautiful season, the most loved by tourists to visit Italy, the culinary "rip-offs" that foreigners are often victims of return to the news pages , between restaurants that offer the real tricolor specialties and then bring to the table frozen pizzas and packaged lasagnas heated in the microwave at very high prices. How can you avoid the traps for visitors who land on the Peninsula beyond the border, but also for Italians themselves who travel in particular to the most famous cities of art, from Pisa to Rome, from Venice to Naples, from Florence to Palermo and, in general, towards typical holiday locations? Below, we have put together some details that should raise more than a few doubts.

1. Restaurants with Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa

But also Vesuvius, gondolas, checkered tablecloths, especially when they are together, complete with a black and white poster of Alberto Sordi eating macaroni with his hands, an iconic scene from the film An American in Rome. The intent is to make the tourist think that the restaurant is an authentic made in Italy through its most famous symbols, those that, after all, have always made foreigners fall in love with the country. In reality, often, what is put on display are only stereotypes , which tend to reproduce themselves in the kitchen too, with a mix of “Italian” dishes without identity. Some high-end contemporary trattorias and osterias have recovered this decor precisely to play on its vintage, traditional and sometimes kitsch allure.

2. All-In-One Menus: Typical Dishes From North to South

Tourists would be better off distancing themselves from those menus that feature all the most famous dishes: lasagna alla bolognese, cotoletta alla milanese, spaghetti allo scoglio, risotto alla pescatora, fried fish, vitello tonnato, carbonara, eggplant parmigiana and even pizza. A “taste of Italy” from North to South that rarely features seasonal, local and quality ingredients. It is not uncommon, therefore, for pizza to be frozen (there is rarely a pizza chef inside), as well as fish (forget the fresh catch of the day); that ready-made products are used or with added flavorings such as stock cubes or cream to enhance aromas and consistencies. Without forgetting that recipes that have become famous in the United States and the rest of the world thanks to migrants such as spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan or even fettuccine Alfredo, as delicious as they are, are not considered a symbol of Italian gastronomy tout-court.

3. Big Sized Food

Giant platters of cured meats and cheeses, ice cream cones with 7 flavors that can be held with two hands, half-kilo plates of amatriciana with cascades of grated cheese: food porn is not only found on Instagram or TikTok, but also in “real life” restaurants, which attract tourists (and not only) precisely because of the big size of the food. As impressive as they may be to the eye, you can't say that to the palate: this type of business is based on a choice of low-cost raw materials, preferring quantity to quality, where waste is high given the extra large portions, with competitive prices that confirm their lack of sustainability.

4. Colorful and Voluminous Ice Creams

They are part of the previous category, but it is better to dedicate a separate point. Ice cream is an Italian excellence and for the tourist it is always good, wherever you eat it. Obviously, we know that this is not the case, because not all ice cream shops have an artisanal product. Foreigners, in fact, risk being attracted by ice creams that have very little genuine. Which ones are they? Those that in the window appear super colorful and voluminous like a cloud, overflowing from the tub. Aesthetically beautiful, these flavors hide real traps: the bright nuances (the pink of the strawberry, the yellow of the lemon, the green of the pistachio) are given by colorants, while the volume denotes the addition of additives that swell and stabilize, to preserve the shape over time and prevent melting.

5. Plates on Display With Prices

No, we are not talking about the menus displayed at the entrance of the premises, which can also be a sign of a tourist restaurant, but not necessarily to be avoided. We are referring to when at the entrance there are tables with reproductions of pasta dishes, risottos, cutlets, platters for happy hour, which display some of the dishes that can be enjoyed during lunch or dinner and which are usually the flagships of the establishment, most of the time accompanied by the price. Here, these are always reminders for the visitor who is attracted by a picturesque setting, considered typically Italian. But almost always, behind the reminder, there is no hidden quality.

6. Lunch and Dinner Formulas With Cocktails

The drinks that accompany meals are a fundamental detail to understand if a restaurant is aimed at an audience that comes from outside the country. The most common? Water, wine, beer, soft drinks: certainly not cocktails (and even less cappuccino, but that's another story), which are intended for aperitifs or after dinner. It's better not to pay attention to those places that offer "typically Italian" dishes (lasagna, pasta, etc.) with formulas that include a cocktail to match (from spritz to mojito), since it is not a habit in the country you are visiting and, above all, there is no real food pairing study.

7. The Presence of The "Bouncer"

A figure particularly widespread in the classic Italian cities of art, but they are also found on the Navigli in Milan: the task of bouncers is to draw attention and invite people walking near the place to sit down and consume something. They are known for hanging around in front of restaurants for tourists who, for the reasons indicated above, could get ripped off.