Rome mayor apologises to British tourists charged £54 for four ice creams
The mayor of Rome has apologised to a group of British tourists charged £54 for four ice creams near the Spanish Steps, inviting them back to the Italian capital.
The Antica Roma bar where four British tourists were charged 64 euros for four ice creams Photo: Nick Squires
By Press Association 10:48AM BST 08 May 2013
Married couple Roger and Wendy Bannister, from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, said they received the invitation from mayor Gianni Alemanno.
Mr Bannister, 58, and Mrs Bannister, 61, along with Mr Bannister's brother Stephen, 68, and his wife Joyce, 69, were landed with the bill on Sunday, the last day of their holiday.
The group had stopped at the Antica Roma ice cream parlour and bar close to the Spanish Steps in the city centre and ordered three scoops of ice cream each. They did not ask to sit down but to take the ice creams away. Cafés and bars in Italy double or triple their prices for customers who choose to sit down at a table.
Mr Bannister said he was shocked when he received the bill of 64 euros, or £54.
"It was just disbelief and then giving the money and having the change slapped down, the five euro note and the one euro coin, and then the receipt – 64 euros – we just walked out in disbelief," he told BBC Breakfast. "It was shocking really."
Their complaints about the exorbitant price have rekindled a debate over the rip-offs perpetrated by many shops, businesses and tourist operators in the city.
He said they had received a message expressing "sincere apologies", saying Mr Alemanno, an elected politician who is accountable for the strategic government of Rome, was "very upset" about what happened.
Mr Bannister said they were told they would be treated to an ice cream if they returned to the city. He added that they were considering the invitation.
