Rome is still the “capital of the world,” at least in tourism. Its streets and monuments attracted 13 million people in 2017, many of them Argentinians like these. At the end of 2013, after Pope Francis was elected, the number of Argentinians visiting Rome rose by more than 60 percent.
'It's the first time we're here and we're so excited. We've loved everything. We've visited Venice, Florence and now Rome. Today in the Vatican we could see the pope, who is Argentinian like us. So we are very excited.'
'We were next to him. We saw him drinking mate and everything.'
Despite some tourist scams that were uncovered in various restaurants in the city, the appeal of the Eternal City is unique because of its art.
'The Pieta by Michelangelo impacted me a lot. B ROLL PIETÀ The sculpture itself and the way it is carved is exciting.'
Recently in Venice, four Japanese students had to pay €1,100, or $1,400 for four steaks, a plate of fried fish and two glasses of red wine.
That is why it is now recommended that tourists agree on prices before ordering and look up tourist reviews online about the restaurant.
'Every time we travel, we usually look for reviews on the Internet, like with Trip Advisor. So when we visit restaurants and hotels, we have not had any problems up until now.'
There is a strong temptation to scam since not many of the 13 million tourists speak Italian and appear to have a lot of money. However, cheating is not free. The Venetian restaurant will have to pay a €20,000 fine, almost $25,000.
