British Tourists Charged $84 for Four Ice Cream Cones in Rome
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ROME) — We all scream for ice cream, but one would hope that’s not because of the price.
An ice cream parlor near the Spanish Steps in Rome ignited the wrath of the world this week after it charged four British tourists a seemingly exorbitant amount of money for ice cream.
The story went viral after the two British couples snapped a photo of their bill. They had been charged 64 Euros, or $84 for four cones.
Such was the outrage over the high price of everyone’s favorite frozen treat that the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, apologized to the tourists and offered them a free trip back to Rome.
However, expensive ice cream is not that unusual. The server at the Antica Roma Gelateria, where the tourists purchased the ice cream, says $20 for four big scoops in within the range of “normal.”
In part that’s because the overall ice cream experience including the quality of ingredients, location, uniqueness, plays a part in the price.
“You’re not buying the ice cream,” lecturer in marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University Ronnie Ballantyne told BBC News. “You’re buying Rome.”
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