My partner and I have been travelling through Europe for the past few weeks, and unfortunately, we've felt the most unwelcome in Italy.
For context, we're both Indian. Before this trip, we'd heard all the stereotypes about the French being rude, but we were pleasantly surprised. Almost every interaction we had in France was warm, friendly, and helpful.
Our experience changed once we got to Italy, particularly in restaurants.
We're both food lovers, so before arriving we researched the best local places to eat and made reservations well in advance for most of them. Out of the five restaurants we visited, I'd say we felt unwelcome in three.
At first, we thought maybe the staff were just brusque with everyone. But after watching how they interacted with other guests, it really felt like their attitude changed when the customers were white.
One example: we arrived for a dinner reservation and, as soon as the staff saw us, we were told, "Sorry, we're full. We don't have any tables." We explained that we had a reservation under my partner's (white-sounding) name, and suddenly they found our booking and showed us to our table. While we were eating, two white tourists walked in without a reservation and were seated almost immediately. We also heard the servers tell them there was a reservation for the table, but it want until the next hour and a half. We wondered why we were about to be turned away first when they thought we had no reservation, but this wasnt a problem when it came to the other people.
At another restaurant, we noticed that every other table was offered water as they were seated, while we weren't. Throughout several meals, the staff were noticeably less warm and attentive with us than they were with other diners.
I know Indian tourists don't always have the best reputation in some countries, and I'm very aware of that. Because of it, we make a conscious effort to be respectful wherever we travel. We learn basic greetings in the local language, are polite to staff, try not to be loud or take up unnecessary space, and always treat people with respect. We also spent a fair amount of money at these restaurants because we genuinely wanted to experience the local cuisine.
Of course, I can't say for certain that every interaction was motivated by racism. There could have been other explanations in some cases. But after experiencing multiple incidents and comparing how we were treated with the people around us, it became difficult not to notice a pattern.
It's a shame because we genuinely loved Italy's food, history, and beautiful cities. But feeling unwelcome because of your skin colour or ethnicity can overshadow an otherwise amazing trip. Sadly, I don't think we'd choose to come back.