Gelato, Espresso and Water

Beware the rising prices of these fine and simple things of life in the Eternal City. Since the introduction of the Euro, prices in Rome have generally been soaring, but the price of these three staples are simply outrageous.

That is, at least, if you buy them in the tourist areas. A simple bottle of refreshing water at 26 eurocents in the grocery store can cost upwards of 3 euros by the Colosseum.

Gelato and espresso have gotten out of hand too. In the last year, I have seen the price of a 'piccola' rise from 1 Euro 50 to 3 Euros in some places. And every taxi driver can tell you that the price of espresso is a scam.

Starting with the falsehood that an espresso at 1000 lire would be more or less the same at 1 Euro, the boiling point of Italian and tourist blood is being pushed up further and further. Simple math will tell you that the prices are not the same. And now, that same cup of espresso is reaching toward 3 Euros!

I guess that the saying 'una vita non basta' should maybe be 'un euro non basta'.

Tom