Last year it was a simple cut to split a toast in two that justified a surcharge at the checkout. This year it’s the turn of an exotic Sicilian brioche which costs as much as 4 euros in bars in Como. We go from savory to sweet, but the taste of the tourist prices that now rage on Lake Como always remains bitter. The complaint from the Como regional councilor of Forza Italia, Sergio Gaddi, has sparked controversy which naturally finds fertile ground on social media. So in the comments there are those who tell their experiences, which confirm the crazy prices in the city.
“There is a bar in the center where the brioche costs 6 euros, heated in the microwave” writes a user, who then perhaps to justify the bartender-Uncle Scrooge adds “but it is served at the table”. Then there are those who paid 3.50 for a cappuccino. “Does that sound like the case to you? – asks the disappointed customer – I paid and left without saying anything, I definitely won’t come back to visit”.
And then there are those who hit the point of tourist prices, i.e. different prices depending on the clientele. “In a bar in the city, after drinking a decaffeinated coffee, I ask how much it is. Answer: 2 euros” says a user. When asked in amazement about the price, the owner of the place then recanted: 1 and a half euros. “Alert – writes the user – they try”. “They are no longer ashamed – another comments – So if I want to have breakfast at the bar I will have to say when entering if there is a cadrega” he asks ironically.
There are also fine social economists in the comments. “Free market and free choice. Where is the problem?” someone asks. “The greater the demand, the higher the prices and everyone is free to decide whether to buy or not” says someone else. Then there are those who look at the concrete. “Just one fundamental aspect: was the price displayed? If so, no controversy!” a user points out.
However, for some people from Como, the problem is another. “Excluding the popular places for tourists, coffee has now become a luxury in every bar in the centre. Pure madness” is the comment of a citizen. “Then we complain that we see tourists eating pizzas in boxes sitting on the side of the road!” someone else writes.
There are those who take advantage of the controversy and shift the issue to other points dear to citizens. “Even car parks now have “tourist” prices, one user quips.
In short, prices continue to increase. There are those who believe it is the game of the market, the invisible hand of Smith, and those who observe that the madness of the crazy prices also affects the residents. Perhaps, thanks to the tropicalization of the climate, it’s just that everything is transforming and Lake Como – as one user writes – is becoming the lake of Dubai!
