Ferrari is looking less like a carmaker and more like Hermès
T he workaday town of Maranello, near such architectural jewels as Bologna and Modena, shares little of their charm. Nevertheless, its main attraction is a centrepiece of Italian culture. A statue of a prancing horse on a roundabout reminds visitors that this is the home of Ferrari. Italian design, exclusivity and racing heritage have made the company both a champion of the car industry and something altogether different.
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Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Fancy coffee shop swamped with protests after fed-up customer reveals she was charged for having croissant cut in half
The café owner defended the charge, claiming it covers an extra plate and napkin and 'skill' OH FLAKE OFF! Fancy coffee shop swamped with protests after fed-up customer reveals she was charged for having croissant cut in half Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FANCY coffee shop in northern Italy has been swamped with protests after a fed-up customer revealed she was charged extra for having her croissant cut in half. The woman, who has not been named in local media, visited Audrey Patisserie in Oderzo on Sunday for breakfast, ordering two coffees and a pastry. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Staff at Audrey's Bakery in Oderzo, Italy, charged a customer for cutting a croissant in half Credit: Newsflash 4 A woman cutting the pastry into two at the Italian coffee shop Credit: Newsflash 4 The bill shows an extra €0.10 charge for the halved croissant Credit: Newsflash But when she asked staff to slice the croissant so she could share it with her mother, she later discovered an extra €0.10 (around 9p) charge on the bill. Fuming, she shared the receipt online, writing: 'It's not about the cost, it's the principle.' Her post spread like wildfire, sparking an avalanche of fury from social media users. One user blasted: 'You have to hate your customers to charge them €0.10 to cut a croissant in half. 'A total lack of elegance, refinement, and empathy. 'They should bring hotel management students to your restaurant to show them how not to treat your customers. Pathetic.' Another piled on: 'Disgusting cappuccino and they ask 10 cents to cut a croissant in half, never again, how squalid.' A third raged: '€0.10 what a disgrace… just to cut a croissant!!!' The backlash left café owner Massimiliano Viotto under siege, as his shop was bombarded with negative reviews. He said: 'We were flooded with one-star reviews from people who have never even visited our shop. Customer Charged Surprise $5 'Bitching Fee' at Pizzeria After Speaking Up 'Our Google rating dropped from 4.5 to 3.5, but we're confident it will recover with time and dedication.' Viotto denied the charge was a rip-off, even though it doesn't appear on the menu, claiming it covers the use of an extra plate and napkin and the 'skill' needed to cut a pastry. Bafflingly, a photo from the café shows a staff member simply snipping through a croissant with a pair of scissors while steadying it with a fork. He insisted: 'It's not a scam. It is a conscious choice that we defend with pride.' The row adds to Italy's growing reputation for bizarre summer surcharges. Last year, a woman in Arezzo revealed she was slapped with a £50 fee to cut her own birthday cake in a restaurant. And it's not the only baffling bill making headlines. A man has told how he was left scratching his head after a local restaurant added a mysterious 'S Charge' to his tab. The 2.75% extra fee — around 70 cents — appeared despite him paying in cash, meaning it couldn't be a card surcharge. Posting the receipt online, he wrote: 'After eating at a local restaurant I noticed a charge on the receipt I did not recognize and have never seen before. 'I emailed the contact listed on their website a week ago but never received a response. 'Can someone tell me what is the S Charge (2.75%)? Can't be a credit card up charge since I paid cash.' The post sparked heated debate, with most guessing it was some form of service charge.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Lando Norris says what he won't do to beat McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to F1 title
McLaren look certain to win both Formula 1 championships this year with the teams' title all-but sewn up and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri duelling for individual glory Lando Norris is desperate for Formula 1 glory – but insists he is not willing to do anything to win. History is littered with World champions like Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna who were not afraid to bend rules in the pursuit of success. Title-chasing McLaren duo Norris and Oscar Piastri have kept it clean so far this year, apart from a collision in Canada for which the Brit immediately accepted fault. Norris is often self-critical when he makes mistakes and that, he says, proves how much he wants to win. But he said: "I get upset sometimes and I get disappointed and I get angry at myself, and I think that shows just how much I care about winning and losing. But that doesn't mean I need to take it out on Oscar. I just don't get into those kind of things. "He is the guy I want to beat more than anyone else but, if I don't beat him, then that's just because he has done a better job. I will do it the way I believe is best for me, and just because one person did it a few years ago, it doesn't mean you have to do that too." Norris was quicker than Piastri in both practice sessions at the Hungaroring on Friday as McLaren dominated proceedings. Ferrari showed decent pace with Charles Leclerc third in both hours while Lewis Hamilton also looked strong on a track where he has won eight times before. In contrast, Max Verstappen struggled for pace and was only 14th on the timesheets by the end of FP2. Yuki Tsunoda was ninth, marking the first time the Dutchman has been beaten by a Red Bull team-mate in any practice session this season. Verstappen spent much of that second hour of running complaining about his machine. "I don't know what's going on, I can't get any balance," he complained at one point, while also stating in other radio messages that the car was "undriveable" and that it was "like driving on ice". He is third in the drivers' championship but 81 points adrift of leader Piastri. That would be a huge gap to overhaul but, still McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is refusing to rule the four-time World champion out of the fight. The Italian said: "I only agree with mathematics, so once mathematics tells us that is the case, then I will change my answer. I would not exclude Max, for instance, being in the game, so we are very wary. We remain concentrated, but we want to put our drivers in a position to sustain their quest until the end of the season." Fernando Alonso missed the first practice session of the day, citing back pain, with Brazilian reserve driver Felipe Drugovich filling in. But the Spaniard, 44, was well enough to drive in FP2 and was fifth fastest, one place behind Lance Stroll as Aston Martin showed encouraging pace.
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
New £11.7billion bridge set to connect one of Europe's most beautiful islands to the mainland for the first time
Plus, how to get there now from the UK in under three hours BRIDGE THE GAP New £11.7billion bridge set to connect one of Europe's most beautiful islands to the mainland for the first time Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE new 2.2mile bridge connecting a beautiful European island to the mainland is to finally get the go-ahead. The plan to link Sicily with mainland Italy has been on the cards for years and now, the Italian government is expected to give the green light next week. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Travelling from mainland Italy to Sicily is about to get much easier Credit: Alamy 4 The bridge will connect Sicily with mainland Italy Credit: Alamy The proposed plans are to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina - the body of water between Sicily and Italy's mainland. The Strait of Messina Bridge is something that has actually been talked about since the Roman times, but has never come to fruition. It came very close to becoming a reality back in 2009, but was stopped in 2013 when the company created to oversee its construction closed down. Talking to Reuters, a source said the Italian government is expected to give the go-ahead for the project next week. The source added that the meeting of the Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS) to approve the bridge had yet to be scheduled but was expected to take place by August 7. The bridge will be costly, and the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has set aside €13.5 billion (£11.7 billion) for the project. Once it's finished, the Strait of Messina Bridge will be the longest suspension bridge in the world. It will be 2.2 miles long and designed to withstand earthquakes and strong winds. The project isn't going to be a quick build though as it's estimated it won't be completed until 2032. Currently, to get to and from Sicily to the Calabria region, travellers have to get on a ferry, take a train, or plane. Discover Europe's Secret Isles: Top 8 Underrated Destinations 4 Sicily has beautiful beaches and lots of history Credit: Alamy A regular ferry route operates between Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria in Calabria, and it takes around 30 minutes to do the crossing. You can also get a train from Sicily direct to Rome and Naples that boards its own ferry. The journey takes between eight and 12 hours depending on the starting city. To reach the island by plane, visitors can fly from Milan, Rome, Venice, Bologna and Verona. From the UK, you can fly directly to the island from London and Bristol and be there in under three hours. Sicily is one of Europe's most ancient inhabited islands and is now home to around five million people. Often named one of the world's most beautiful islands (most recently by Conde Nast Traveler), the most popular cities on the island are Palermo and Catania. One writer who visited Palermo delved deep into the island's mafia past and discovered a striking cathedral, food markets and beautiful sandy beaches. Another writer went to Catania taking a look at its Hollywood history, found the best views and tasted delicious desserts. For an Italian escape, here's a Mediterranean island that Brits don't know about with spectacular beaches and it's loved by Italians. And another tiny Italian island set to be 'turned into an oasis' to escape hoards of tourists.
