It’s a moral lesson, but also an act of love, for Italy. The thanks are sincere, the refusal polite. Japanese citizen Yasuyuki Yamada, 35, and his girlfriend, the recipients of an eye-watering, 695-euro bill at Rome’s Il Passetto restaurant, are adamant.
The offer from the tourism minister, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, to bring them back to Italy as guests of the government “is pointless, because it is a pointless expense for the Italian taxpayer.”
GREAT TRIP
In an interview with the ANSA agency at Tsukuba, the town where he lives 70 kilometers from Tokyo, Mr. Yamada said: “All in all, the trip to Italy was great. I offer my thanks, but I have no intention of accepting, even if a formal invitation arrives. That’s my decision. Of course I’d like to come back to Italy, but at my own expense. People who swindle you exist all over the world. Next time, I’d like to see the Vatican better, go back to Capri, and enjoy the superb scenery.”
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The offer from the tourism minister, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, to bring them back to Italy as guests of the government “is pointless, because it is a pointless expense for the Italian taxpayer.
- I offer my thanks, but I have no intention of accepting, even if a formal invitation arrives.
- In an interview with the ANSA agency at Tsukuba, the town where he lives 70 kilometers from Tokyo, Mr.
