“You’re welcome but you have to spend,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told tourists after a series of incidents in which foreigners claimed they were ripped off at restaurants in the centre of Venice. 
 
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 He called a British family who said they were recently charged more than €500 for lunch near St Mark’s Square “cheapskates” for disputing the bill. 
 
 “What they paid was fair,” Brugnaro told Sky TG24 when asked about the story, which came to light when one of the tourists wrote to the mayor’s office to complain. 
 
 “In fact I applaud the restauranteur who issued the bill, it shows once again that in Venice things are done legally. 
 
 “If you come to Venice, you should know that you’re Venice, you have to spend some money. In fact, leave a tip for all the people who are there working for you.” 
 
 READ MORE: Venice to restrict cruise ship access to protect its historic buildings 
 
 British tourist Luke Tang accused the Trattoria Casanova of taking advantage of the fact that neither he nor his parents speak Italian to bring them several expensive seafood dishes they hadn’t ordered, racking up a bill of €526. 
 
 He paid in full but wrote to Brugnaro to highlight “a kind of behaviour that risks ruining Venice’s reputation”. 
 
 His letter of complaint was “returned to sender”, according to the mayor. 
 
 “Someone eats and drinks, then says they don’t understand the language,” Brugnaro said. “But if you come to Italy you should learn Italian, a bit of Venetian wouldn’t hurt either.” 
 
 Venice is not alone in charging premium prices, Brugnaro insisted. In a tweet on Sunday, he posted a photo of an €11 bill for four coffees from a café in Austria, asking: “Who should I write to about this bill standing at the bar in Vienna airport!?” 
 
 ..e per questo scontrino in piedi al bar dell’aeroporto di Vienna a chi dovrei scrivere!? Ai giornali o al povero sindaco di quella Città !? Ai “sempre contro nostrani”, a quelli della serie “so tutto mi” che gioiscono se Venezia viene attaccata, a loro invece rispondo ciao👋 😀 pic.twitter.com/Dzr264x2UQ — Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) November 12, 2017 
 
 While the mayor remains defiant, a citizens’ group lamented his attitude to Venice’s millions of visitors. The city’s leaders are “selling Venice by the pound,” said a statement from the April 25 Group, a collective that claims to represent ordinary Venetians. 
 
 “By mocking a British citizen for not speaking Italian or Venetian, as if this could be an acceptable alibi for ripping off our visitors, this mayor may give the impression that this is common practice in Venice – which is not the case – and cannot speak in our name,” the group said. 
 
 Selling Venice by the pound? NOT IN OUR NAME https://t.co/YawlnHwaNm pic.twitter.com/gUWqRyhL7Q — Gruppo25Aprile (@25aprileVenezia) November 12, 2017 
 
 Tang’s was the second incident to come to light in the space of a week. 
 
 Earlier this month, a Japanese couple complained that they were charged €120 for a plate of lobster pasta at another trattoria in central Venice, accusing the restaurant of taking advantage of the fact that the price was calculated by weight to overcharge them. With the help of another customer, they eventually got the bill reduced by 40 percent. 
 
 In the past, tourists have been the ones accused of bad behaviour in Venice, including driving in the car-free centre, bathing in its historic fountains, and urinating in public. 
 
 Brugnaro came to power on a promise to rein in Venice’s vast tourism industry, which residents have long complained makes the city unliveable. 
 
 Earlier this year he introduced a swathe of measures designed to reduce the crowds that flood its most popular sites, ranging from limiting tourist accommodation to installing automatic people-counters in high-traffic areas. 
 
 Last week Italy's national government approved plans to ban cruise ships from the centre of Venice. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption From mouth-watering steak to eye-watering bill in Venice 
 
 The mayor of Venice has voiced outrage over the €1,100 (£970; $1,347) bill that four Japanese tourists say they had to pay for four steaks, a plate of fried fish, water and service. 
 
 The four students complained to police after getting the eye-watering bill at a restaurant near St Mark's Square. 
 
 Three women with them chose another restaurant - but even they ended up paying €350 for three plates of seafood pasta, Italian media report. 
 
 The mayor has vowed to get justice. 
 
 "We will thoroughly examine this episode, we'll check to see if the complaint was made properly," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted. 
 
 "If this disgraceful episode is confirmed, we'll do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice - always!" 
 
 The four Japanese men complained to police on returning to Bologna, where they are students. Their case has been taken up by Marco Gasparinetti, spokesman for a Venice residents' forum called "Gruppo 25 Aprile". 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Spectacular St Mark's Square is a highlight of any Venice tour 
 
 Italian media did not name the restaurant, but said it was owned by a Chinese woman and run by an Egyptian. 
 
 According to Mr Gasparinetti, only 1.1% of restaurants in that part of Venice are owned by locals, and the figure is 50% in the historic centre as a whole. 
 
 He said Gruppo 25 Aprile would post advice for tourists this week on Facebook to help them avoid such a "mockery". There have been many cases of restaurants overcharging tourists in Venice, he said. 
 
 "We defend local residents and whoever puts the good name of Venice at risk harms all Venetians," the group said in a tweet. 
 
 You may also like: ||||| (ANSA) - Venice, January 22 - Four Japanese tourists were slapped with a 1,143-euro ($1,350) bill for a meal in Venice. 
 
 The four had four steaks, a fried-fish platter and mineral water in the osteria near St Mark's Square, according to early reports. 
 
 later reports said the steaks were large 'Fiorentine" cuts, that the fish was for four and not just a single platter, an that they may have had very expensive Amarone wine as well as water - and costly aperitifs before the meal. 
 
 On Monday the four filed a complaint with police in Bologna, where they are resident as students. 
 
 Venice police have opened a probe after a complaint from the 25 Aprile association, which broke the story.
– Four Japanese tourists were reportedly taken to the cleaners by a Venice restaurant, and now authorities are looking into the meal. ANSA reports the tourists ordered four steaks and a platter of grilled fish—no wine, just mineral water. The spot near St. Mark's Square reportedly charged them $1,350 for the meal; they paid the tab then filed a complaint Monday. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro pledged to get to the bottom of the matter: "If this shameful episode is confirmed, we’ll do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice, always!" he said, per the Guardian. But ANSA notes the story gets a little mushy, with other reports claiming the group ordered hearty "Fiorentine" cuts of beef, that the fish dish was sized to serve four, and that they drank aperitifs and pricey Amarone wine. A rep for the unnamed restaurant is said to have told local media that he had "no recollection of any problems with Japanese customers." The BBC reports the four males are studying in Bologna, and complained upon their return to that city. It's a bit of a changed tune for Brugnaro, who the Local reported in November labeled a British family of three "cheapskates" for complaining over a $650 lunch they had in the same area; they alleged the restaurant took advantage of their inability to speak Italian and brought them pricey dishes they hadn't said they wanted. "What they paid was fair," Brugnaro said. "If you come to Venice, you should know that you're Venice, you have to spend some money." He added, "You should learn Italian, a bit of Venetian wouldn’t hurt either." (This tourist died after a "foolish" move in Australia.)