Couple Shocked By $1,200 Lunch Tab Refuse Free Return Trip To Italy

Yasuyuki Yamada and his fiancee dined at Il Passetto in Rome when they were hit with a luncheon bill amounting to €700 ($1200 U.S.) according to reports. The couple complained to police about the exorbitant lunch bill, which included a charge of nearly $300 for a pasta dish and a service charge amounting to nearly $130. The 150-year-old restaurant, regularly hosts celebrities and dignitaries and counts Leonardo DiCaprio and Harrison Ford as regulars.

To win back the support of the Japanese couple and as a show of positive goodwill toward other future Japanese tourists, the Italian Government offered the couple an all-expenses paid return trip to Italy as guests of the Government. Reports like this have circulated throughout Japanese media and tourists have reportedly been put off by reports of poor service and high prices in Italy.

The 35-year-old Mr. Yamada has reportedly thanked Italian tourism minister Michela Brambilla for the offer but refused the offer, saying it was a "useless way to spend Italian taxpayers' money." "I offer my thanks, but I have no intention of accepting it, even if a formal invitation arrives," said Mr Yamada in an interview from his home near Tokyo. The couple reportedly plans to return to to Italy for another holiday at their own expense.

Il Passetto defended its bill, claiming the couple ordered the most expensive items on the menu, which included oysters and lobster. Weeks earlier another Japanese couple complained about the restaurant after it presented a nearly $500 bill for a modest meal that included a shared main course.