Few public toilets, people eating on the sidewalk, having to pay for tablecloths in restaurants are things in Italy that surprise Vietnamese tourists.
Reader Trinh Hang, from Hanoi, who visited Italy for more than 10 days earlier this year, shared many of her experiences traveling to the country. She said that although she often saw Italy through books, movies and travel guides, she was still surprised by many of her real-life experiences when she came here.
Italy has very few public toilets, people sit on the sidewalks to eat, and having to pay for tablecloths and cutlery when eating at restaurants are three of the things that surprise Vietnamese visitors.
Coperto - a fee in restaurants
First-time visitors to Italy and those who go to restaurants will be surprised when they receive their bill. One “dish” that never changes is the coperto, even though it is not on the menu and the visitors never order it.
Coperto is essentially a service charge, also known as a “seating fee”. This fee is charged to guests entering a restaurant. Coperto covers the tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, glasses, condiments and bread laid out. Even if the guest does not eat the bread, they still have to pay coperto. This fee is usually 3 euros, in some places 5 euros per person.
Few public toilets
Restaurants, cafes and food carts are everywhere in Italy, but public toilets are rare. In Rome, a large complex of monuments including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, there are very few toilets and they are only inside the fence. If you do not buy a ticket to visit the monuments or eat at the restaurants, it is difficult to find a toilet. There are toilets in shopping malls, train stations and piers, but most of them require a fee, about 18,000-20,000 VND per person.
Popular print newsstands
Newsstands - something that has disappeared from the streets of many countries, but is still a common presence in Italy. Tourists can see them in both urban and rural areas, selling postcards, souvenirs, and drinks. There are always new newspapers on the stands.
Newsstands are where visitors can easily buy public transport cards, metro and bus tickets, and most visitors to Italy travel by the system. public transport, with the advantages of cheap price and convenience.
Sitting and eating on the sidewalk
Many visitors to Italy will be surprised to see people resting, sleeping, sitting and eating right on the sidewalks, squares or median strips, in contrast to the "romantic" and "luxurious" images often used to describe this place.
This phenomenon is caused by many factors, perhaps due to the open-minded nature that loves comfort, the pleasant climate, and partly due to the large number of people coming to Italy, which at times exceeds the capacity of the shops.
In fact, sitting on the sidewalk, admiring thousand-year-old architectural masterpieces, watching people passing by and enjoying an Italian-style lunch is also a pleasure.
Enjoy opera in the middle of the street
Opera is an academic art, often performed in luxurious theaters, and audiences often wear appropriate costumes. However, in Italy, visitors can enjoy operas familiar to many Vietnamese people such as La Traviata, Nessun dorma, My Sun, Return to Soriento right on the sidewalk by street artists.
Most of these performances are in the evening, attracting tourists, especially in walking streets, shopping centers or ancient squares.
All attractions have early bird tickets.
“Money can buy you everything” – this idea does not apply in Italy. Because of the large number of tourists, most tourist attractions sell tickets online in advance, and if you arrive and buy tickets only after arriving, the possibility of having to turn back is very high. Even if you buy tickets in advance, visitors should arrive early, bring food and be prepared to queue. Many places can require a queue of several hours to enter, such as the Duomo di Firenze in Florence, Duomo di Milano in Milan, or Vatican in Rome.
If you are planning to go to Italy, you should apply for visa early, then go online to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms and buy sightseeing tickets as early as possible to enjoy your trip.
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