Tourists furious after being charged £430 for a photo in Italy

TOURISTS visiting Rome have claimed they have been charged up to £430 for photos with men dressed as centurions in front of the Colosseum.

Police in Rome have announced they have arrested three men on suspicion of extortion after allegedly forcing holidaymakers to pay for so-called “imperial selfies”.

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The accused men were among the tourist traders dressed as Roman soldiers who loiter outside the Colosseum every day and charge people for a photo.

Tourists have been warned for years not to swerve at the role-playing Romans, after some used aggressive tactics to force people to overpay for a picture.

In a post on her Facebook page, a spokesman for Rome’s police headquarters revealed that a tourist from northern Italy reported being surrounded and threatened after refusing to pay 40 euros for his photo.

He claimed he was then forced to pay 150 euros (129 pounds) by the men, who wouldn’t let him go until he was coughing.

Another Irish tourist claimed he was forced to go to the nearest ATM and was ordered to withdraw €250 (£215) for a photo with the costume guards.

Other complaints from August and September 2022 of this year claim up to €500 (£430) was charged for an image.

In recent years tourists have also reported paying above average prices for food at the main tourist attractions in Rome.

In 2019, two tourists previously slammed a “disgusting” restaurant in Rome after being charged €429 (£381) for their meal.

The Japanese tourists ordered two plates of fish and spaghetti and some water from a restaurant near Ponte Sant’Angelo and then posted the picture on TripAdvisor.

However, the restaurant said the two Japanese tourists knew exactly what they were doing when ordering and had no right to complain after receiving the bill.

Meanwhile, a beachside restaurant in Mykonos made headlines this summer after several tourists complained they were being overcharged for meals.

A US lawyer said she was charged £460 for four drinks and a snack at the notorious DK Oyster Bar.

When they tried to complain about the bill, Theodora said they were immediately surrounded by the waiters, “a group of big, hulking men.”

Meanwhile, these tourists were outraged when they shelled out more than £100 for three hot dogs, a sandwich and some sodas in Italy.

And these are some of the biggest vacation scams tourists can avoid.

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