Scandal in the heart of Venice. Waiters fought with tourists
5:40 AM EDT, October 5, 2023, updated: 8:56 AM EDT, October 5, 2023
— I don't think we've ever seen scenes like this at St. Mark's Square — said councilman Sebastiano Costalonga in an interview with Italian media. And it's hard to find a better summary, as the luxurious café at St. Mark's Square in Venice momentarily turned into a battlefield. Fists and... chairs were thrown. The cause of the fight is surprising.
The historic Gran Caffè Chioggia café in St. Mark's Square in Venice is a very elegant place, where guests can savor the taste of coffee to the sounds of live music. Distinguished waiters serve the customers, who usually maintain a stoic calm. This time it was different.
Last week, customers at Gran Caffè Chioggia discovered that elegantly dressed waiters can exhibit a fiery temperament. An intense exchange of words occurred in the café, which turned into a brawl.
As reported by Italian media, it all started when four tourists walked into a cafe. The men took a table but did not place an order. Instead, they demanded to use the restroom, which the cafe staff did not appreciate.
Tourists were fighting with waiters
The tourists were supposed to be pushy and impolite. Apparently, they didn't want to order anything, and they only visited Gran Caffè Chioggia to use the restroom.
From the accounts of eyewitnesses, it appears that several waiters began to chase after unruly ''customers''. Matters quickly got out of control, and neither side of the conflict wanted to back down. The verbal skirmish soon turned into a brawl.
The sight of waiters, who in such a prestigious place, are jostling with customers, stunned the witnesses of the incident, as well as internet users who watched the short recording posted online.
During the brawl, not only fists were used, but also... chairs. Some waiters tried to calm the situation, but without much success. The police had to intervene.
Reminder: every year Venice is visited by millions of tourists. In such a crowd, access to the toilet becomes a significant problem. Recently, Venice decided to limit the influx of tourists by introducing a fee to enter the city.
