And it's true. I ordered a glass of red and a glass of prosecco and what you see in the photograph, all the more clearly if you click on it, is what we got.
Forget the apéritif, a desultory little bowl of miniature pretzels and other savoury biscuits the waiter may or may not serve with your drinks in France.
When French Riviera becomes Italian Riviera, this is the aperitivo.
It was impossible on a short stay in the magical Italian resort of Portofino to take a drink without also acquiring a mountain of titbits - crisps, spicy croutons, olives, sliced carrot and more. The choice is yours: a filling, carb-rich alternative to dinner or a fattening prelude to it.
While the well-heeled, or inappropriately high-heeled, women did their cobble hobble, awkwardly and perhaps even painfully negotiating the narrow lanes leading to the port, we sat at the Jolly wine bar, gawped at the loveliness of Portofino and had our aperitivo.
Just behind the waterfront, the band hired for a British soirée - do the Italians say sera or have another word for it? - was tucking into pre-work grub at the Pizzeria Da Nicola.
At the next table in Jolly's, an impossibly handsome young couple were served the same trayful of goodies. Opposite was another impressive boy-girl pairing, with more than a hint of Gulf provenance.
Expensive togs, handbags and, of course, shoes were everywhere. The boutiques see no reason for vulgar bargaining; "cannot budge on the price," said the woman serving at one of them, "we Liguri are a bit like the Scottish."
Portofino is enjoyable. It is also significantly overpriced. For that, it will make no apology. We kept ourselves to ourselves, but the fabulously rich François-Henri Pinault (CEO of Kering which - at last count - owned Gucci and a few more including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Puma) and his wife, the actress Salma Hayek, were also around. They would barely have noticed that a glass of red would knock them back €9, thanks to all those snacks, at Jolly's.
This is a place frequented by people of means so it should come as no surprise that whatever you buy there has an enhanced price tag.
The Pinault/Hayek coupling will know of even grander places to dine, when not aboard a sleek yacht, but we had one meal at a harbourside restaurant called Strainer and one at Nicola's, both among our hotelier's recommendations.
Strainer charged €107 for a modest dinner - shared starter, small main course each - with a decent bottle of Sicilian red (decent but also, at €34, the cheapest they listed). And our comfortable but basic room right next to the reception at the Hotel Eden cost €200 a night.
But then, we'd been told neighbouring Santa Margherita was the place to stay and. yes, it is perfectly possible that we'd have fared better.
That said, lunch at the Taverna del Marinaio seemed a bit steep at €115 since we had only table wine in caraffa. The starters were fine - anchovies for him, a curried risotto for her - but the main courses were dreary. Mme Salut had white fish in an insipid sauce while I chose veal in a white wine sauce that turned out to be very thin and made me feel guilty about the old couple at La Terrazza di Acito Luigi - Luigi's for short - in San Bartolomeo al Mare, much farther along the coast back towards France.
There, I'd been served the most delicious slice of veal I can recall in a long time, generously proportioned with a tasty sauce. No vegetable accompanied it, which was a disappointment; I'd forgotten that quintessentially Italian requirement to order it as a side dish. I also overlooked the possibility that Luigi's wouldn't take a card. Rather than wash up, I walked 10 minutes there 10 back, to get the readies.
But the taste of that main course stuck with me at all the restaurants I later visited in the more fashionable resorts.
It also left me with a slight feeling of self-disgust for having left no tip at Luigi's. I had taken umbrage at that nasty end-of-meal surprise: their cash-only stipulation was not apparent, in any language, on the menu board placed outside.
I must look them up and slip a note in the post.
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