Catania Sicily - Post Report Question and Answers

Keep Italian business owners at arms length until you have been using them for 10-15 times. They get greedy and will try and screw you over after a couple small deals. If you like a cafe or diner, remember to go slow. Never accept the "special" or let them do something special for you. We were eating in a cafe about 2 or 3 times a week and the owner told me he wanted to do something special for me. His normal special was 15 Euros, the "extra special" meal was $150 euros. They get greedy, but the key is to stay away from anything without a price, or agree on a price before you order. You'll be sorry if you don't. In every part of town there exist someone who's taken it upon themselves to "guard" the neighborhood. It doesn't cost much to pay the "pizzo" and keep your house safe. My normal "pizzo" where I lived in a gated community was a case or 2 of cokes and a couple bottles of wine a month. You might drop off a cured ham or a kilo of cheese every couple months. Beats coming home to an empty house. - Jul 2012