An Italian sportswoman had to pay extra for refusing pizza ingredients (5 photos)
31-year-old swimmer Elena Di Liddo, who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and other professional competitions, expressed her indignation on social media. Last week, the Italian woman was having lunch at a pizzeria in Bisceglie, a cozy town in Puglia. Suddenly, she was charged an extra fee on the bill. 
The athlete ordered a Tricolor pizza, which usually includes pesto sauce, mozzarella and tomatoes, but asked the waiter to remove two ingredients. She was unpleasantly surprised when she saw the bill. It turned out that she was charged 1.50 euros for each component removed. 
The receipt stated "no cherry tomatoes" and "no lactose". Outraged by the injustice, Elena posted on social media.
She added a caption to the photo of the bill: "Anywhere north of Naples you have to pay for water for your coffee. People born in the south are shocked by this, because obviously we shouldn't have to pay for water."
"But sitting in a pizzeria in Bisceglie and being asked to pay €1.50 for tomatoes you didn't eat is sad and embarrassing. Is that legal?" 
The extra charges have pushed the price of the pizza up to €17 from the original €14.
Most users supported it, agreeing that the establishments were inflating their prices. However, some argued that the chefs had spent time removing the ingredients, which should be paid for. 
Elena made her international debut in 2009 as part of the junior team. The following year, at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, she won a silver medal in the 50m butterfly.
Over the years, she has won medals at the European Championships, the Mediterranean Games, and the Universiade, and set Italian records in the 100m butterfly. In 2021, she took part in her first Olympic Games in Tokyo. 
