Two pizzas, four glasses of Aperol Spritz and a 44 euro bill left on the table without being paid. That's how two French tourists attempted to “scrounge” dinner at a pizzeria in Civitanova Marche. But they had not reckoned with Michela Malatini, owner of the Ai Due Re restaurant. Realizing what had happened, the restaurateur checked the security cameras, extracted the images, and the next day tracked down the customers to a vacation apartment. She appeared in person at the door and demanded payment, which the two women settled immediately. “It was not a matter of money, but of respect for the work of my staff,” Malatini explained, adding that in case of financial hardship, she would even buy dinner. The phenomenon of dine and dash - dining and leaving without paying - is also on the rise in Italy, especially among tourists. The Marche episode made the rounds of international media: The Guardian and other newspapers praised the determination of the restaurateur, who has become a symbol of resistance against an increasingly widespread malpractice.