Italian pizzaiolo’s rant at Taiwanese tourists backfires, sparks apology after viral outrage

A pizzeria owner in the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini Terme ignited an online firestorm after filming himself berating a group of 16 Taiwanese tourists for ordering only five pizzas and three beers, telling them in Italian to “get out Taiwan” while sarcastically praising their frugality.

In the now-deleted clip posted last Thursday by the owner of “Pizza dal Pazzo,” the visibly angry restaurateur stood in front of the unsuspecting group and unleashed a tirade in Italian, repeatedly shouting “Taiwan go home” and mocking that they couldn’t even understand English.

Unaware of the insults, the tourists smiled, waved, and flashed thumbs-up at the camera, thinking he was enthusiastically greeting them.

The video spread rapidly across Taiwanese and Chinese social media, drawing sharp criticism for rudeness and xenophobia.

Many pointed out that the restaurant had no minimum-spend rule and that sharing dishes is common in Asian dining culture, while Italians typically eat one whole pizza each and rarely split.

Facing backlash, the owner removed the original post and uploaded an apology video on Saturday morning, declaring that people from both mainland China and Taiwan are wonderful and that both places are well worth visiting.