These are the tourist scams Trzly has documented across Italië, grouped by destination. Each one is real, with a clear way to stay safe. Read before you land.
Hoe het werkt: Fresh fish is often listed per 100g rather than per portion, and a whole fish can be billed by the number of diners rather than its actual weight, so a bill arrives far higher than the menu number suggested.
Hoe het te vermijden: Before ordering fish, ask the waiter to weigh it and tell you the total price for your table in euros. Agree that figure, and be wary of a whole fish presented for the whole group without a clear per-kilo price.
Hoe het werkt: Private and unofficial drivers along the coast often quote a high flat fare, refuse to use a meter, or add extras once you are moving, charging tourists well above the normal rate for a short hop.
Hoe het te vermijden: Agree the full fare before getting in and use only official ranks or a hotel-booked car. For most trips the SITA bus or ferry is far cheaper; keep the taxi for luggage, late nights or awkward connections.
Hoe het werkt: Many restaurants add a per-person coperto (cover charge) and sometimes a service charge, which is legal but can surprise visitors who expected the menu price to be the whole cost.
Hoe het te vermijden: This is normal in Italy, not a scam, as long as it is printed on the menu. Scan the small print for coperto and servizio before sitting down, and tipping beyond a rounded-up total is optional.
Hoe het werkt: Some beach clubs and boat operators quote a base price, then add charges for a front-row sunbed, a towel or a longer route, so the final cost is much higher than the first figure.
Hoe het te vermijden: Confirm exactly what the price includes and for how long before you pay. Compare a couple of operators, and for boat trips agree the route, duration and total in advance rather than settling up afterwards.
Hoe het werkt: Shops right beside the main sights often start high, and some ordinary ceramics or lemon products are sold as rare local specialities at inflated prices to passing tourists.
Hoe het te vermijden: Compare a few shops and step a street or two away from the cathedral or main beach for fairer prices. Genuine Vietri ceramics and PGI lemon products exist, but you rarely need to buy from the busiest tourist stall.
Hoe het werkt: Touts and clipboard sellers near the Uffizi and Accademia offer 'skip-the-line' tickets or tours at inflated prices, sometimes for slots you could book cheaply yourself or that do not exist.
Hoe het te vermijden: Buy only from the official museum websites or ticket offices in advance. Ignore anyone approaching you in the queue and never hand cash to unofficial sellers.
Hoe het werkt: Around the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio, someone grabs your wrist and ties on a string bracelet before you can refuse, then aggressively demands ten to twenty euros for it.
Hoe het te vermijden: Keep your hands to yourself and do not let anyone attach anything. A firm no and walking on is enough; you owe nothing for an unwanted item.
Hoe het werkt: A person, sometimes pretending to be deaf, gets you to sign an official-looking petition for a 'charity' and then demands a cash donation, while an accomplice may pick your pocket as you are distracted.
Hoe het te vermijden: Do not stop to sign anything on the street or let strangers crowd you. Keep bags zipped and in front, and walk on without engaging.
Hoe het werkt: Restaurants beside the big sights lure you with photo menus and staff waving you in, then serve mediocre food with inflated prices, hidden cover charges and unordered bread or extras.
Hoe het te vermijden: Avoid places with staff touting outside and photos of every dish. Choose spots with printed prices, a clear coperto, and mostly local diners, and refuse anything you did not order.
Hoe het werkt: Unofficial drivers at the airport offer a 'taxi' and then charge far above the regulated flat fare, or add invented surcharges beyond the agreed evening or luggage supplement.
Hoe het te vermijden: Use only the official licensed taxi rank or the T2 tram. Know the fixed fare to the centre in advance and refuse any extra charges that were not agreed.
Hoe het werkt: On the steps and south side of the Duomo, men grab your wrist and tie on a string bracelet before you can refuse, then aggressively demand payment and may follow you if you say no.
Hoe het te vermijden: Keep your hands to yourself and do not let anyone attach anything. A firm no and walking on is enough; you owe nothing for an unwanted item, and staying out of arm's reach on the cathedral steps helps.
Hoe het werkt: A person, sometimes pretending to be deaf, gets you to sign an official-looking petition for a 'charity' and then demands a cash donation, while an accomplice picks your pocket as you are distracted.
Hoe het te vermijden: Do not stop to sign anything on the street or let strangers crowd you. Keep bags zipped and in front, and walk on without engaging.
Hoe het werkt: Unofficial drivers touting inside the airport offer a 'taxi' and then charge far above the regulated flat fare, or claim the meter is broken and quote an inflated cash price.
Hoe het te vermijden: Use only the official licensed taxi rank outside Arrivals, or take the Malpensa Express. Know the fixed fare to the centre in advance and refuse rides offered inside the terminal.
Hoe het werkt: Restaurants around the Duomo and Galleria lure you with photo menus and touts, then serve mediocre food with inflated prices, hidden cover charges and unordered extras.
Hoe het te vermijden: Avoid places with staff waving you in and photos of every dish. Choose spots with printed prices, a clear coperto and mostly local diners, and refuse anything you did not order.
Hoe het werkt: Touts near the Duomo and the Last Supper offer 'skip-the-line' tickets or tours at inflated prices, sometimes for slots you could book cheaply yourself or that do not exist.
Hoe het te vermijden: Buy only from the official websites or ticket offices in advance. For the Last Supper, book far ahead through the official channel and ignore anyone selling tickets on the street.
Hoe het werkt: Some drivers avoid the meter, claim it is broken, invent night or luggage surcharges, or quote an inflated flat fare once they know you are a visitor, so you pay well over the real price.
Hoe het te vermijden: Insist on the meter for city trips, or agree an official fixed fare (tariffa predeterminata) for set routes like the airport before moving. Keep small notes, ask for a receipt, and use only licensed white taxis from a marked rank.
Hoe het werkt: Crowded spots like Napoli Centrale and Piazza Garibaldi, the Circumvesuviana and packed buses are worked by pickpockets, sometimes using a bump, a fake argument or a distraction while an accomplice lifts your phone or wallet.
Hoe het te vermijden: Wear a cross-body bag zipped and in front, keep your phone off the table and out of back pockets, and stay alert boarding trains and buses. Split your cash and cards, and be extra careful in busy transport hubs.
Hoe het werkt: A few tourist-facing places show no printed prices, push expensive 'specials of the day', or add unexplained cover and service charges, then present a bill far higher than you expected.
Hoe het te vermijden: Choose places with clearly priced menus, confirm the price of any special before ordering, and check that the coperto (cover charge) is stated. Read the bill line by line and query anything that does not add up.
Hoe het werkt: Near Pompeii and other big sights, touts sell overpriced or fake skip-the-line tickets and tours, or press unsolicited 'guiding' on you and then demand a steep fee.
Hoe het te vermijden: Buy tickets only from official booths or the official website, and book licensed guides in advance. Decline anyone approaching you in the queue, and ignore offers of special access that avoid the real entrance.
Hoe het werkt: Someone ties a string bracelet on your wrist or presses a rose into your hand as a 'gift', then aggressively demands payment and blocks your way in a busy square.
Hoe het te vermijden: Do not accept anything handed to you and keep your hands to yourself, saying a firm no and walking on. It is a low-level nuisance rather than a danger, but engaging invites a scene.
Hoe het werkt: Touts outside the Colosseum and Vatican sell 'skip-the-line' tickets or tours at inflated prices, sometimes for slots you could book cheaply yourself or that do not exist.
Hoe het te vermijden: Buy only from the official website or ticket office in advance. Ignore anyone approaching you in the queue, and never hand over cash to unofficial sellers.
Hoe het werkt: Men dressed as Roman gladiators near the Colosseum encourage you to pose, then demand a surprisingly high fee for the photo.
Hoe het te vermijden: Agree a clear price before any photo or simply decline. If you did not arrange a fee, you are not obliged to pay a large sum on the spot.
Hoe het werkt: Unofficial drivers or touts at the airport offer a 'taxi' and then charge far above the regulated fixed fare, or genuine taxis add invented surcharges.
Hoe het te vermijden: Use only the official licensed taxi rank or the train. Know the fixed fare to the centre in advance and refuse extra charges that were not agreed.
Hoe het werkt: Someone ties a string bracelet on your wrist or presses a rose into your hand as a 'gift', then aggressively demands payment.
Hoe het te vermijden: Keep your hands to yourself and do not let anyone attach anything. A firm no and walking on is enough; you owe nothing for an unwanted item.
Hoe het werkt: Restaurants beside major sights lure you with photo menus and touts, then serve mediocre food with inflated prices, hidden cover charges and unrequested extras.
Hoe het te vermijden: Avoid places with staff waving you in and photos of every dish. Choose spots with printed prices, a clear cover charge, and mostly local diners.
Hoe het werkt: Unofficial touts or unlicensed operators, especially near the station and airport, quote a price well above the official rate for a gondola or water taxi, then add extra charges once you are aboard.
Hoe het te vermijden: Use only official gondola stands or licensed water taxi ranks, confirm the price and duration before boarding, and know the standard published rates in advance so you can spot an inflated quote.
Hoe het werkt: Some restaurants near tourist areas sell seafood priced by weight without displaying it clearly, or add a coperto and service charge that pushes a modest-looking meal to a surprising total.
Hoe het te vermijden: Always ask the exact price per hundred grams for seafood before ordering, and check the menu for the coperto and service charge in advance so the final bill holds no surprises.
Hoe het werkt: Street vendors, sometimes operating illegally near major sights, sell counterfeit bags, sunglasses and accessories branded as genuine designer items.
Hoe het te vermijden: Assume street-stall 'designer' goods are fakes. Buying counterfeit items can carry fines in Italy, so shop at licensed stores if you want the real thing.
Hoe het werkt: Someone offers to take your photo with pigeons, a Carnival costume, or a prop near St Mark's Square, then demands payment afterward, sometimes more than expected.
Hoe het te vermijden: Agree a price before any photo is taken, or politely decline and take your own picture instead. Feeding pigeons in St Mark's Square is also officially discouraged.