horrified

Just got back from 11 glorious days in Tuscany, Italy ... save for one terrible, humiliating experience at Trattoria Bella Donne on Via Bella Donne in Firenze which was recommended by Fodor's as well as Bon Appetit (in their Tuscany special issue) and the Rough Guide.
I was travelling with my mother who is recovering from a broken hip and is still using a cane. Upon entering Bella Donne for luncheon on October 24th(politely asking for a table in my well-intentioned, albeit limited, Italian) we were shown two seats by the owner in the half-empty restaurant -- one of which was a stool, not good for Mom, and the other which would have required her to slide into a small space across a long bench -- also tough w/a healing hip. I turned to the owner (I knew it was him 'cause his picture was in Bon Appetit) and kindly asked, pointing to another table and my mom's cane, if he could move us to a table that would be easier for her to to access. Not only did he refuse, but he opened an abusive mouth on me, glared at me and wouldn't speak to me. He shoved me aside and walked into the kitchen, leaving us standing in the middle of the restaurant with everyone staring at us. Now remember, there are about five other free tables ... when I approached him again (one of his waitresses even started intervening before he snapped at her too) .. and he again said that we could either sit at the table he showed us or leave and he marched to the door and opened it to indicate that we could get out. To make his point, he seated two men in the original seats he showed us and shouted that we would have to wait for an hour for a seat ... all of this in a half-empty restaurant with no visible signs of reservations (it was already about 1:30 pm) In my entire life, I've NEVER been treated so horribly in any restaurant ... and my mother and I left (actually, I began to cry after I hit the street because I felt so angry at being treated so badly as a woman and an American not being able to say in Italian what I really wanted to say to this disgraceful man). The experience was so horrible, so humiliating that I urge other Americans to boycott the joint ...and I beg Fodors to take Trattoria Bella Donna out of future guidebooks.

AS FOR GREAT RESTAURANTS with remarkable food and lovely waitstaff, owners, etc. -- La Fattoria in La Romita (the best restaurant I ever encountered in Italy), Le Vigne in Radda in Chianti, and La Gramola in Tavernelle.

abc

OK

Listening

notice

christina

YES! you are right! i'm living in florence and my partner do have a hotel. however, people ask for recomondations and we send people to spots where we tested. to belle donne: the service is a terror! for us it's only but realy only perfect if we want to go to cinema after working (we work till 9 p.m.) and we want a fast dinner with fast paying after it. but i never ever would send someone there. they are on the number one list for unfriendlyness. and to tell you: it doesen't matter if you are a foreigner or italian, he treats everyone like this. but i agree with you: avoid this place.

tanti saluti

christina

xxxxxxxx

spread the word

elaine

this info should also be put into Rants and Raves and perhaps emailed to the Fodor's editors

Allthesame

And you are not all the same person are you, pigeon english as well ???

hello

Nope, but I have the feeling that's the same place where I was treated rudely, too, about 5 years ago. Apparently others feel the same. What's the matter -- do you have stock in the place?

Allthesame

Trollschool finished early today ???

hello

To all the same;

@tin.it is an Italian e-mail address. Didn't it occur to you that a person who knows some Eng. as a 2nd, 3rd, or whatever language might also wish to post here and that it is inappropriate for you to label her communications "pigeon english"? Why don't you post your next reply in Italian or German or French so we can see how pigeon it is? it's not just abroad that some of our countrymen act like "ugly Americans"!

nancy

More and more I try to restrain myself from responding from rude postings,(as the only thing my response accomplishes is to make myself feel better.)
But "Allthesames" rudeness is just too much to pass by.
Christina has posted before on this site, always using the same name/address.
I assume she is a real person, and I think that it is remarkable that she is able to compose such articulate messages
in what is obviously NOT her primary language.
If only the rest of us were as educated and multi-lingual as she is!!
I hope some day that I,too, am able to write such an articulate and literate message in my "pigeon italian"!!!
nancy

Allthesame

Not good enough... this site gets trolled by professionals. Look at the inumerable 'Hawaii' postings. Back to trollschool with you....

birds

Allthesame - you may want to take the birds out of the picture - it's pidgin, not pigeon. Christina's English is excellent. Certainly a lot better than many who learned it as a first and only language.

Allthesame

Why not stick to one 'identity', someone may even believe your postings...

JustDave

allthesame- I'm curious, exactly what part of this thread do you consider a troll or spam? Also you seem to think a troll and a spam are the same thing, but they are two different things.

AC

Geez folk;
The point here is the horrible treatment given to horrified and her mom!!! Keep focused here, will you.
That seem to be the "owners" way of treating his customers. Christina is wise to tell her guests to avoid going to the place. I also would send a letter to Fodor and Bon Appetit and let them know of the experience.
Horrified--I am glad you did not let this ruin your trip...Rest assured the Trattoria Bella Donne will not see me or anyone I know who travels to Tuscany.

Allthesame

Your responses are steadily deteriorating as your patience runs out. ( like your ideas ).

horrified

Thank you for sharing the word on the nasty folks at Trattoria Belle Donne. We were treated badly by a place that had been heralded by Fodors, Bon Appetit, the Rough Guide and lord knows who else -- why should Americans frequent an establishment in which they are treated so poorly? And could the nasty person who keeps posting please stop being equally badly behaved? Instant karma ... you know the rest.

christina

allwhatsoever: i'm a very real person, i talk 5 languages including my mothertounge and english is NOT my mothertounge. so can you please stop to be un rompe scatole o io ti dico tante veramente belle cose in italiano, e anche italiano non è la mia lingua madre. es ist immer wieder lustig kommentare von unqualifizierten personen lesen zu müssen. Di hei immer z gfüel, dass sie aues besser wüsse u blöd chöi umemotze. Ler zersch mau en angeri schprach du Gigu. Je suis très desolé e en pui les personne commes toi mi fa male il stomaco e viene un gran vuole di vomitare.

Sorry for this, but it's really too bad to ride (maybe not spelled right) from unaducated persons like you such a bullshit. first of all learn to communicate and then talk again with me.

christina

Listening

Bravo, and amen.