A US tourist has warned visitors to Rome after paying €44 (£38) for two ice-creams in the Italian capital.
Nicole Ann, from Florida, advised fellow tourists to “avoid Don Nino”, an ice-cream parlour on a street off Piazza Navona. She claimed she had ordered two small cups of ice-cream but instead was charged for two large cones topped with trimmings that were allegedly not requested, including macarons, cannoli and panna (whipped cream).
Sharing a photograph of the receipt, dated 3 June, on the page of a Facebook group offering Rome travel tips, Nicole Ann wrote: “We stopped for gelato and asked for 2 small cups” but the server “gave us the smallest-sized cup and said we had 3 scoops” and then “started adding toppings we didn’t ask for – like cannoli and macarons, implying it was free”.
Nicole Ann said she had not even realised the bill was €44 until looking back at the receipt, because “it sounded like” the server had said €14. She said the ice-cream “wasn’t even good”, describing it as the “worst” of all those she sampled during her 10 days in Rome.
Nicole Ann claimed she had ordered two small cups, and that her purchase was served in cups. The receipt listed two maxi cones at €12 each, €4 for dollops of panna on the ice-creams, two pistachio cannoli for €10 and two macarons totalling €6 – bringing the total to €44.
Don Nino has several branches in central Rome, with its main one opposite the Spanish Steps. The company, whose website describes its ice-cream products as “the authentic taste of quality”, declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian.
Nicole Ann’s post sparked more than 900 comments from Italians and foreign tourists. “As an Italian living in Italy, I’m ashamed,” wrote one commenter.
Another questioned whether Nicole Ann had checked the prices before ordering. In response, she claimed she “didn’t see prices anywhere” and, after eating plenty of ice-cream during her trip, assumed the cost would be similar.
The Guardian visited the Don Nino shop near Piazza Navona and the price list was clearly visible, with one scoop in a small cup or cone costing €6, doubling to €12 for three scoops in a large cup or cone.
The typical price of an ice-cream in Rome is about €2-€5, depending on the size and location in the city.