How to tell your paying “English price” for things in Abruzzo? There is no sure fire way, but here are the clues.

You ask the price of something and:

• There is a long pause
• The person looks away
• The person glances you up and down. (this is to take in your clothes and look for cues of wealth, like expensive watches etc)
• They make a conscious effort to weigh you up
• They may even look over to see what car you drive etc.

The Abruzzese person you are talking to is trying to calculate the “English price” for your merchandise based on what you are worth, how well you are dressed, how much they think you can afford etc.

The odds of you being quoted an “ English price” vary greatly, they are highest in the following scenarios:

• Buying a house 1,000,000%
• Asking an Abruzzo builder for a quote 10,000%
• Paying an Abruzzese builder for the work he did 1,000,000%
• Bidding for stuff in the market 100,000%
• Browsing gift shops and enquiring the price of unpriced items 1,000%
• Buying stuff from old contadinos (people who grow their own stuff) 150%
• Paying for services (solicitor etc) 200%

How to minimise the risk of being quoted or charged English price in Abruzzo:

• Improve your Italian
• Make it clear that you know that mussels normally cost 2 euros a kilo
• Get clued up on how much stuff costs. (I once got charged 5 euros for 2 kilos of carrots that cost 99 cents each, never again)
• If it is a big purchase take an Italian with you to help negotiate, preferably a bull dog like our friend Maria, seriously, NO-ONE wants to argue with this lady, she may be short, but she can “rompa la balle” (break the balls with the best of them.
• Find out beforehand what Abruzzo people actually pay for things. Often times this can be a huge shock. They pay so little for things, but that is the going rate, why should you pay more?
• If you feel like you are being duped with an English price, simply walk away. Do not cough up.
• Do what we do and look poor and impoverished so people feel sorry for you. Be aware this involves the whole shebang, driving an old car, wearing shabby clothes, and for woman avoid that manicure and wear tacky costume jewellery. (hey it works for me)
• Try to befriend your seller, - no-one wants to rip some-one off if they already have a good relationship with them, so invest some time in the relationship. In Abruzzo this can actually be an expected part of the process for a big purchase. So don’t be British about it, make friends.