15 Common Scams (and not Scams) in Italy and How to Avoid Them
- Darcy Melton
- Feb 8
- 23 min read
What are the most common scams in Italy? And what are things that may seem like scams, but are not?
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It's unlikely that you will encounter any scams or crimes during your trip to Italy, but just like anywhere else, crime does happen. In this article, I will explain common scams, how to avoid them, and what to do if you become the victim of one.
I'll also explain some things that may feel like scams that are actually normal, like having to pay the city tax in cash at your hotel. During your travels, you'll be in a lot of different places and situations, you will encounter more people and be in larger crowds than you likely would in everyday life and that means more opportunity to be a victim to some sort of crime. On top of that, being in unfamiliar situations, it can be easy to assume that you are being scammed in some way.
In this article, I will break down common scams into a few categories:
scams on the street,
scams in restaurants and cafés
scams related to transportation
things that may feel like scams, but actually are not.
My number one tip in any situation is to trust your gut. While it is unlikely you will be the victim of a scam or crime in Italy, if you feel unsafe, do your best to get yourself out of the situation, don't worry about being rude at the expense of your safety.
Quick note: If you are in a dangerous situation, if you are having an emergency, or have been harmed, call 112. This is the general emergency phone number in Europe and if dialed in Italy, will connect you with Carabinieri or national police.
We recommend getting travel insurance for your trip, mostly in case of canceled flights or to cover things like rental car damage, however travel insurance can also be helpful in the case of things like of lost or stolen credit cards. You can check out World Nomads* and Travelex* for more information and to buy travel insurance.
Want to listen?
If you'd like to listen to information about common scams and things that are not scams, but may seem like it, you can listen to our episodes on this subject on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!
Scams on the street in Italy
Pickpocketing
Unfortunately, pickpocketing does happen, especially in touristy and crowded areas in big cities. Pickpocketing is most likely to happen in crowded areas like tightly-touristed streets, on packed buses, and when your distracted. Street performers like musicians, artists, and puppeteers are common in Italy and are likely just that and not a part of any sort of criminal activity, however pickpockets may rely on people being distracted by these performers and take advantage. Some street performers are involved in a pickpocketing scheme. An often talked about example of this are mimes in Florence where a mime will distract people while an accomplice goes around pickpocketing the distracted onlookers.
>How to Avoid Getting Pick-pocketed
Only bring out what you need. Don't carry all of your cards and cash when walking around. We bring one bank card, one credit card, and a maximum of €60 in cash. It's also legally mandatory that you have your passport with you at all times. If you aren't going to be driving, leave your driver's license in the safe at the hotel.
Keep your day bag in front of you. Do not wear a bag on your back in crowded areas. If you can, use a fanny pack, sling bag, cross-body bag, or small day pack that can be worn across your front. We use a fanny pack that both of us can wear as a cross-body bag. If you have to wear a backpack on your back, for example when arriving in a city, have a separate smaller bag to carry your wallet, passport, and phone on your front.
Do not keep valuables in your pockets in crowded areas. I would avoid this in major cities just in case.
Do not leave a bag open on the ground. While visiting Venice during Carnevale, we saw countless people leave purses and camera bags open on the ground within easy and quick reach on anyone. Do not do this. Always keep your bag close to you and closed.
Keep cash, cards, and phone all in separate pockets if possible. This is great for avoiding having your valuables stolen, but lost as well. Euros can be quite static-y, they easily stick to your phone and may fall out when you pull out your phone without you realizing.
>What To Do if You're Cards, Phone, or Passport are Stolen
If your bank cards are stolen, call your bank and report them stolen immediately so they can be deactivated. If your phone or passport is stolen report it stolen to the police and get a police report. Of your passport is stolen, go the embassy to report it stolen and receive a temporary passport. If you have travel insurance, report your stolen items to them, for this you will likely need a police report as proof.
Fake Charitable Organizations (or what we call "Clipboard People")
These are people who will be in small groups on city streets who politely stop passersby and ask for a signature on a petition for a good cause. They will often approach you cheerfully and speak multiple languages, they will ask you to sign a petition for something anyone would agree with and either ask for information that could lead them to finding passwords to sensitive information, like your email, date of birth, etc. or guilt you into making a donation.
We have encountered this in several cities in Italy and it's something to be on the lookout for.
>How to avoid Fake Charitable Organizations
If you see a group of people with clipboards engaging with people walking by, walk past them, do not engage, and politely (or impolitely) excuse yourself if they begin to talk to you. If I'm being honest, I don't think we have encountered any real charitable organizations asking for signatures or donations on the street in Italy. That's not to say they don't exists, only that we haven't seen them on the street soliciting donations. If they engage with you, I would recommend that you do not sign, give any personal information, or donate because it is almost impossible to know in the moment if it is a legitimate organization.
Bracelet Tossers and Rose Sellers
These are people who will engage you happily, often in English, chat for a moment and then as you leave, toss you a bracelet. They will often at first say or imply that it's a gift, but then encourage you or ask for payment (usually a few euros). This isn't a scam, but it is an aggressive selling tactic.
Rose sellers have a similar sales tactic. They place a rose in your hand and insist on payment even after saying that its a gift. While we have encountered several bracelet and rose sellers, the bracelet sellers have often been a little pushy, but kind. However, I have encountered several aggressive rose sellers in Rome. One shoved a rose at me so hard that it scratched my hand, breaking skin. I think that was a rare experience, but important to share.
>How to Avoid Bracelet Tossers
If you see them and do want to purchase a bracelet, do not engage with them. If they toss you a bracelet and you don't want to buy it, simply toss it back. If they do not accept it, place it on the ground and leave.
>How to Avoid Rose Sellers
If you see them and do want to buy a rose, do not engage with them. If someone approaches you with a rose, avoid accepting it when the seller offers it. If they force you to take it, give it back. If they don't accept it, place it on the ground and leave.
Insistent Photographer
It is pretty common for someone to offer to take your photo if they see you struggling and most of the time this is just someone being helpful. However, there are those who will offer to take your photo and then insist on payment. This is different from professional photographers on the street. For example, in Naples along via Toledo photographers offer photos on the street with old fashioned box cameras. This is a legitimate business where you can pay for souvenir photos.
>How to Avoid an Insistent Photographer
Unfortunately it can be hard to know if someone is going to ask for payment for a photo. Just trust your gut.
Counterfeit Products and Illegal Street Vendors
You may see vendors selling counterfeit purses and other products on sheets along the sidewalk in major cities. It is pretty easy to spot, these will be what looks like Prada, Chanel, and other branded bags being sold for €25, that makes it pretty obvious that they are not real. It's important to know that if you knowingly purchase counterfeit goods, you are also culpable for a crime. This is different from vendors who sell regular goods along the street from carts and stalls. There are often legitimate vendors who legally sell sunglasses, bags, phone cases, art, fruit, snacks and more.
>How to Avoid Buying Counterfeit Goods and from Illegal Street Vendors
It is easy to spot these vendors, they will be selling their goods on a sheet instead of from a cart or stall. If bags or other products are branded with high-end names, they are almost 100% counterfeit. If you don't want to buy counterfeit goods or from illegal vendors, just walk by.
Art Poster Scam
This seems to be a scam specific to Florence, at least at the time of writing this article in 2026. Vendors of poster-sized art prints will lay out around 8-10 posters on the ground in a high foot traffic areas and if someone happens to step on one, they accuse the person of ruining the product and insist that they pay for it. These vendors can most often be seen in the Piazza del Duomo near the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the main church.
>How to Avoid the Art Poster Scam
These vendors are easy to spot when they are moving from one point to another, which they seem to do often. When we have seen them, they don't stay on one spot for long. Unlike working artists, who sell their work from small carts, these vendors put their poster prints (of famous art and sometimes AI-generated images of local landmarks) directly on the ground. Be especially careful in the Piazza del Duomo when it's crowded and may be hard to see these prints on the ground.
Art That is Marketed as Entirely Hand Painted but Isn't
There are many artists who sell their work along Italian streets. Florence, Rome, and Naples are famous for this. In Florence you can find many artists around the Piazza del Duomo and near the Uffizi Museum in the Piazzale degli Uffizi, the pedestrian street that runs between the wings of the Uffizi. In Naples you can find artists selling their work around Piazza Luigi Miraglia and Via Porta Alba. In my experience, most art in Naples is made by hand if it looks like it is; I have seen almost no instances of people trying to fool shoppers with partially-printed or mass-produced work. I think this is more likely in Florence and Rome. So what's the scam exactly? Artists can often be seen painting live while selling their work on the street. Some of these artists, although their work looks entirely handmade, are painting over a mass-produced print. If you see this enough, you can start to recognize the same "paintings" from different vendors.
Even though these can be hard to spot, as an artist myself, I highly encourage you to buy local art! One of the best ways to do this is from the artist themself selling their work along the street. Galleries typically take 50% of a sale and aren't always a good representation of local artists. Buying from the artist directly is the best way to go.
>How to Avoid Art that Isn't Entirely Hand Painted
This can be quite tricky to spot. One giveaway is that these paintings are typically small, watercolor works that look highly detailed. However some artists may have truly handmade and unique works that fit that description. If you can, watch the artist paint, does it look like they are just filling in the lines? Do they have a stack of paper ready that already has "drawings" or a print on it? Does it look unique or like something you've seen before?
Scams at Restaurants and Cafés/Bars in Italy
Restaurants with a Beckoning Host
This is when a restaurant host or maître d' is overly friendly and heavily encourages you to come inside. This isn't a scam, but its a sign that the restaurant likely doesn't have the best food. The thought is that, if the food is good, the restaurant doesn't need a host to encourage customers to come in. This is something you' encounter most in touristy areas, but can happen anywhere. Sometimes it's very obvious, maître d's on the street in front of the restaurant, speaking often in English, asking you to come in and listing things on the menu. Other times, you may be looking a menu near the front door of a restaurant and the host comes out to great you joyfully asking if you want a table. If they ask you to come inside before you ask for a table, it's a bad sign.
>How to Avoid Restaurants with a Beckoning Host
As I said, sometimes this is obvious, maître d's outside of the restaurant asking each passerby to come in. This is particularly noticeable along some streets in Rome, touristy restaurants line the street and so do the requite hosts. If you see this, or if a hosts encourages you to come in, you can politely decline and keep walking. At a restaurant with good food, you'll have to ask for a table, not the other way around.
The "Foreigner Tax"
This is different than what is often referred to as the "tourist tax" or city tax which is the tax anyone pays per night at a hotel (more on this later). The "Foreigner Tax" is an up-charge most often by a restaurant or café to someone they deem to be a tourist. This is also not the coperto, the charge per person at a restaurant (more on this later as well), or the sitting fee at a café. The cheapest way to have a coffee or pastry is at the counter in a café/bar. If you choose to sit, you will likely be charged a sitting fee which on a bill often shows up not as a separate charge but as an increased price on each item. For example an espresso may cost €1 when consumed at the counter and €3 at a table. The "foreigner tax" is an additional and illegal hidden charge, not listed on the receipt.
>How to Avoid the "Foreigner Tax"
Take your coffee and pastry at the bar; this doesn't guarantee that you won't be charged the illegal foreigner tax, but it may be less likely. If you are charged something not listed on the receipt, ask about it and dispute it if you feel it necessary and you're able. If you feel it is not the coperto or sitting fee, you can call 117, the financial police. Even more helpful would be to threaten to call 117 (cento-sette-dieci pronounced chen-toe setay dee-h-ee) or the Guardia di Finanza (pronounced gwar-dee-a dee fee-naan-za).
Being Forced to Tip
Tipping is not normal in Italy. The only place it may be expected (but not mandatory) is for a tour, personal boat hire, or long taxi drive (for example from a small town to a major airport hours away). Tipping at a restaurant or café is absolutely not normal. The only exception is if the restaurant published the required tip at the bottom of the menu. This is rare, but it has happened, for example a menu may have written at the bottom "Coperto: €2 , Tip: 20%."
There have been accounts that restaurant owners, managers, or waitstaff have aggressively encouraged customers to tip when it is not listed on the menu, even going so far as to keep their credit/debit card until the customer has tipped. This is illegal.
>What To Do if You're Forced to Tip
If it is not listed on the menu, you do not have to tip. Once you have paid your true bill, you can leave. If someone at the restaurant is being aggressive you are afraid or if they are keeping your bank card, call 112 (the general emergency phone number) or leave the restaurant and find a police officer.
Being Asked to Pay Part of the Bill in Cash
This is a relatively common scam at touristy restaurants, however it isn't the customer who's being scammed, it's the Italian government. Sometimes businesses will ask a customer, who is paying with a card, to pay part of a bill in cash. For example, if the bill is €58, the restaurant may ask for €50 on the card and €8 in cash. In this case, the portion paid in cash will not be reported and therefore the business doesn't pay taxes on it. It's not a good or legal business practice, but it is not a scam against a customer.
>How to Avoid Paying Part of the Bill in Cash
You can simply so "no" or say that you don't have any cash. It is required by law that all businesses provide a receipt of a purchase, so be sure to get a receipt. This is mostly important to be sure that you weren't overcharged, but also because in rare cases you may encounter a Guardia di Finanza officer who asks to see your receipt to verify that the restaurant is charging the correct amount and not committing tax fraud.
Transportation Related Scams in Italy
"The Helpful Local" Scam
What is often called "The Helpful Local" scam is when someone insists on helping someone who is purchasing tickets at a ticket machine, using an ATM, or getting bags onto transportation. Sometimes a person will insist on helping in order to ask for a €1 or more in return for their help. This has happened to us; someone tried to help us by metro tickets, even though we didn't need help, in exchange for payment. This can obviously feel riskier at an ATM where you are pulling out money and where your card number and pin can be seen.
Perhaps the most egregious of these scams involves people who seem like they are simply helping you to put your bags on a train. But in reality are putting them in a baggage area out of your sight line and eventually stealing them. This is not common, but has happened.
>How to Avoid "The Helpful Local" Scam
This can be incredibly hard to spot, because Italians tend to be very helpful and kind people in general.
Use your gut, does this person seem like they are helping you out of true kindness? Do you actually need help?
You can absolutely say "no." If someone pushes after that, they are likely trying to get something from you. If a person under normal circumstances trying to help you hears "no" they will probably stop trying.
Do not let someone you don't know help you at an ATM. And always use an ATM connected to a bank, not a free-standing or third-party ATM.
Always keep bags with valuables in your sight. Do not pack phones, laptops, cash, etc. in large luggage that you may have to stow somewhere that you cannot see. Sometimes luggage racks are at either end of the train carriage. On most trains, luggage that is carry-on sized can be stowed between the backs of two seats. If you're taking a long bus journey, luggage larger than a backpack may have to be stowed under the bus. If someone does help you lift a bag onto the train, do not let them stow it for you, immediately take it back and put it somewhere you can see it.
Extra Ticket Scam
This is similar to scalping tickets. Someone may see you trying to buy tickets at a ticket machine and offer you "the same tickets" for a lesser price under the guise that they bought them and no longer need them. This may be an honest person who truly has spare tickets, but it may also be that they are selling you out-of-date or used tickets and saying that they are functional.
>How to Avoid the Extra Ticket Scam
Do not purchase tickets from a person on the street. Only purchase tickets from ticket machines or from a Tabacchi or Edicola. A tabacchi is a shop that sells cigarettes, salt, bus/metro tickets, tax stamps, and sometimes other things. An edicola is a magazine shop or newsstand that also sometimes sells small office supplies and metro/bus tickets. At both a Tabacchi and Edicola you purchase tickets from a person working at the shop, not a machine.
Overpaying for Standard Services
This one isn't a scam, but certainly something to look out for when purchasing train tickets online. For example, particularly with third-party aggregate sites, a train journey in first class may be listed with "extra" or "dedicated" luggage space which is something guaranteed for any passenger in any class. Some classes do have special perks, like business class where you receive a sweets snack box and free coffee, water, juice, or Prosecco.
>How to Avoid Overpaying for Standard Services
Book with the train provider, Trenitalia or Italo. We recommend booking with Trenitalia and using their Italian language page, because there English language page doesn't display current sales. If you don't have a translator on your browser, you can use Omio*, which is a third party site, but we have found it to be reliable. Omio also offers sales separate from the train provider. So triple check what your ticket really gets you on the train provider's website and if you're looking for a deal compare the train provider and Omio. If you're worried about using a third party, definitely book directly through the train provider.
Taxi Scams
The most common taxi scam is being overcharged for your ride. Nathaniel and I tend to take public transportation or walk while traveling. We've taken a taxi probably ten times in Italy and only one of those times have we been overcharged. We took a taxi from the main train station in Naples, Napoli Centrale, to our hotel in the Galleria Umberto. We were charged €20 for what was really a €10 journey. I was the one to pay the driver as Nathaniel retrieved our bags, I knew what the cost should be, I spoke Italian well enough and even so between the stress of travel and not being focused, I didn't argue the price. As the taxi drove away we both fully realized the mistake. We decided to take it in stride, only being out an extra €10, that at this point in out lives, didn't break the bank. Every other taxi we've taken has been a great experience.
Another taxi scam is fake taxis. Fake taxis or driver/cars pretending to be a taxi is incredibly rare. I haven't heard of this happening in Italy since the 90s. However, it's always important to be sure you're taking a real taxi. Taxis in Italy are usually white and will have a "Taxi" sign on the roof as well as official branding on the sides including standard airport fares.
>How to Avoid Being Overcharged
Check the standard rate: It's important to know that some rates are standardized. For examples, the rate to get from Napoli Centrale to the Naples airport, Capodichino. Naples has standard rates from each neighborhood to the airport. Most cities have a standard "to the airport" fare from the city center. Check these prices before you book a taxi.
If you're taking a taxi to or from somewhere other than the airport, you can check the taxi company's rates online. Every city has their own taxi companies, most cities only have two different companies and their rates should be similar/competitive. They are standardized by the taxi union.
Pay in cash: If you know what you should be charged, have checked the meter to see that rate when you reach your destination and the driver asks you for more than the stated amount, offer them the stated amount in cash. Tell them you don't have more than the stated amount. This is only possible when paying in cash. If you pay with a card, they can type in any amount into the card reader.
Book a taxi through the Free Now App: This is a third party app for booking taxis. With the Free Now app, you can enter your departure and arrival points, see taxis in the area, and the price of your trip before you book. Plus when you book, you can see the name of the driver and their photo. Knowing the name and what the driver looks like before they arrive gives me a lot of peace-of-mind. With Free Now you will pay through the app not the driver directly. You will need to set up a payment method when you install the app. Free Now works in major cities in Italy as well as the rest of Europe. Another taxi app that works in Italy is ItTaxi.
>How to Avoid Fake Taxis
Does the car look like a real taxi or just a regular car? Taxis in Italy are usually white and will have a "Taxi" sign on the roof, official branding on the sides including standard airport fares, and a license number on the outside of the car. The license number with be inside the car as well and the taxi meter will be working.
If you've booked a private car for a tour this may be harder to identify as private cars through tour companies may be black; many companies use black Mercedes, for example. Check the website of the company you book through to see if they list the types of vehicles they use. Always be sure to ask the company for the driver name and confirm with the driver when they arrive.
If you're taking a taxi from an airport or train station, go to the taxi stand/taxi rank. At any airport or major train station there will be a line for catching a taxi.
If you're staying at a hotel, you can ask the hotel to book your taxi.
If you're booking a taxi yourself, I recommend using the Free Now or ItTaxi apps. As a mentioned above, when you book through Free Now, you can see a picture of the driver and their name before they arrive. When they arrive, as for their name to confirm, say "Come si chiama?" (pronounce "commay see key-ama") or "What is your name?" If you see, for example, that a drivers name is "Giovanni," don't just say "Giovanni?" when approaching the taxi, anyone could say "yes." Again, it is so rare to encounter fake taxis or for a taxi driver to commit any further crime than overcharging, but it is important to be cautious when getting into any car with a stranger.
Things That May Seem Like a Scam But Are Not
You may encounter things during your trip that seem like a scam or just feel weird. My number one tip is always to trust your gut, especially if you feel unsafe. There are a few things that I felt a little uncomfortable with when I first visited and moved to Italy. Let's go over some things that may seem weird or like some sort of crime, but are actually totally normal in Italy.
Personal Space
One of the first things that made me a little uncomfortable when I first visited was less personal space, something I've since gotten used to. As an American, I'm used to several feet of personal space at any given time, barring crowded subways, concerts and things like that. For example, in the check-out line at a grocery store, Americans tend to give each other 1-2 feet of space, Italians tend to take that as an empty space and think that you're not waiting in line unless you're almost touching the next person.
Likewise, when walking down an uncrowded street in a major city, someone may brush against you as they pass by. This will likely immediately make you wonder if you've been pickpocketed, "they had so much extra space" you may think. They may have pickpocketed you or they may just be a person going about their business. This has happened many times to both of us and hasn't been nefarious, just a different sense of personal space.
Staring
Italians will stare at you. Italians stare at each other. This happens in big cities and in small towns. This happens most to us in small towns, when the case is usually just people being curious that there are tourists or new people around. Often they're trying to figure out if they know us or who in town we could be related to (because most tourists to small town are visiting relatives). When this happens in big cities, its usually just Italians being Italians? It's cultural, I guess is what I mean to say. So go with your gut, if you feel someone is leering at you, or that someone could be dangerous, get yourself out of the situation if you can or call 112 of someone is threatening you. If you notice what feels like everyone looking at you all the time, no there's nothing on your face, you're just in Italy.
People Taking Your Photo in Public
This really is a go with your gut situation. It is possible that you will happen to be in someones photo while traveling in Italy, a lot of people around you are likely a tourist just like you. If someone is taking a photo specifically of you, you can ask them not to, but it is not a crime in Italy to take a photo of someone in public unless it is for commercial use. For example, a photographer cannot take your photo on the street and sell it without your express permission.
City Tax Paid in Cash at the Hotel
When you check-in at your hotel, you'll be ask to pay a city tax for you stay in cash, this tax is calculated per night per person. In Italian, this is called the "tassa di soggiorno." This tax varies by city and star level of your hotel. Some cities require the tax per night for up to the first 5 days, others up to the first 10 days. For example, if you are a couple who spends 3 nights in a 4-star hotel Rome you will pay €36.
A Copy of Your Passport Made at the Hotel
This is something that may seem strange especially to first time travelers. When you check-in to your hotel, the person at the front desk will as for each traveler's passport and make a photocopy. As standard procedure, this information will be reported to the local police. The front desk may be able to make a copy immediately or then may ask you to return in a few minutes after you've settled in to your room.
You Must Have Your Passport with You
This is on my "not a scam" list, because this law doesn't seem obvious to many travelers. I was also surprised by it when I first went traveling. Except for the short time when the hotel is making a copy of your passport, you must have it with you at all times. If you go out for the day, you must bring it with you, don't leave it in your room at the hotel. It is unlikely, but possible, for a police officer to stop you and ask to see your passport, if do not have it with you, they will fine you and may follow you back to your hotel to see it.
You Must Have a Ticket to Ride the Bus
This may seem obvious, but after reading a story on Reddit I thought it important to talk about. Someone on Reddit asked if they had been scammed when they rode a bus without a ticket, were approached by ticket inspectors and fined €106 for riding without a ticket. It seems that they thought they could purchase tickets from the inspectors, who do not sell tickets. When they were instead given an fine, with the option to pay €50 on the spot or €106 at the police station, they asked the Reddit community if this was a scam.
You must have a ticket to ride any public transportation. Tickets for trains can be purchased online or at the train station from kiosks (and sometimes real people). Bus tickets can be purchased at the main bus depot and from Tabbacchi shops. Some city buses, like in Rome and Florence, have the option to tap to pay on board for a ticket (be aware this usually only works for one person per payment method). Most cities with a metro or tram systems have tickets that work for metro, tram, and bus. Ferry tickets can be purchased online or at the point of departure. For city specific info on how to use public transit and where to buy tickets, check out our City Guides.
Venice Entry Fee
This is the fee charged to tourist visiting Venice only for the day and not spending the night in Venice. The fee is €5 per day when booked at least 4 days in advance and €10 if booked 3 days or fewer in advance including day of. This fee will be in effect from April to July of 2026, from 8:30am-4:00pm. You can click here for the dates listed by the municipality of Venice website. If you do not pay the entry fee and are not staying in Venice or one of the exempt parties below you may be fined €50-€150.
>People Exempt from paying the Venice Entry Fee:
Anyone spending the night in Venice
Residents of Venice
Children under 14 years old
People with disabilities and their caregivers
The Coperto
The coperto is a charge added to your bill per person at restaurants and sometimes cafés. Some people think of this as being in place of the tip, but historically it was used to cover the cost of table lines, silverware, plates, cups, and bread for the table. The coperto will likely be between €2 and €5 per person. This is different than the sitting fee at a café which is often translates to each item being more expensive rather than a flat rate on top, for example a coffee at the counter may cost €1, but a coffee sitting at a table may cost €3. The price for coffee taken at the bar is regulated, but cafes can up-charge as they wish for sitting. Likewise, a restaurant can can whatever they like for the coperto, although as I said it's rarely more than €5 per person, at least on our experience.
It is unlikely that you'll encounter any of these common scams in Italy during your trip, but it is almost certain that you will be out of your comfort zone and experience new things. With that comes uncertainties. I hope this article can help you to be prepared for common scams to look out for and give you peace of mind about what might feel a little weird, but isn't a scam. As I've said so many times, trust your gut. If you are in a situation that feels like a scam or feels dangerous, don't sacrifice your safety for the sake of being polite.
