An American Visited 3 of Italy’s Most Famous Cities and Called the Country “Trash.” People Absolutely Lost It – Then He Doubled Down

A destination can be beautiful, famous, loved by millions – and still be a terrible choice for you.

We hear so much about dream destinations and bucket-list trips. But what happens when the image you have in your mind collides with a completely different culture – and what does research have to do with it?

Here’s what happened when an American traveler went to Italy, what he discovered there, how people reacted when he shared his experience, and what he said a week later after the video exploded online.

There are also a few things I think need to be considered here, plus one big question I have about where personal experience ends and judging an entire destination begins.

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We All Travel With Expectations

We have expectations about almost everything. We imagine how a meeting will go, what a certain day will be like, how an event will unfold and, yes, what our vacation will look like.

Travel comes with another layer. Long before we arrive, most of us already have an image of the place we’re visiting. Paris is romantic. Santorini has white houses, blue domes and spectacular sunsets. Venice is canals and gondolas. Tuscany is rolling hills, vineyards and long dinners. New York is fast, exciting and always moving.

Part of this comes from stereotypes – and I’ve written before about some of the travel stereotypes that get repeated over and over.

But there’s another part of it too.

I’ve worked in marketing, public communication, and image management for more than 21 years, and the image created around a place is powerful. Tourism campaigns, movies, social media, travel articles, Instagram photos and millions of personal recommendations all contribute to what we expect to find when we finally get there.

Researchers have studied this as well. Tourist expectations and the image people have of a destination are among the factors linked to how satisfied they ultimately are with a trip. Studies have also looked at cultural distance and how differences between someone’s home culture and the destination they visit can affect tourist behavior and satisfaction.

Which brings me to Italy and the story shared in this article.

The American Tourist Who Said Italy Was “Trash”

American traveler Kaleb Green went to Italy and visited Milan, Venice, and Florence.

His verdict was honestly the opposite of the review you would expect.

His video starts with:

“Unpopular opinion. But Italy is trash.”

And then he explains why:

“Protein doesn’t exist. All I eat is bread and pasta. Can’t get a water bottle without sitting down at a restaurant for 30 minutes. Nobody uses deodorant in this country. Everyone smells bad. The people are rude.

You can’t go to a restaurant without waving down your waiter for an hour to get your check. You can’t call an Uber, it takes 30 minutes to pick you up. There’s no taxis anywhere. There’s no air conditioning.

It’s like I entered the 1800s when I entered this country. It’s hot as shit. There’s people everywhere.

And I’ve been to three different cities. I’ve been to Milan, I’ve been to Venice, and I’ve been to Florence and everywhere is the same. So yeah, don’t come to Italy.”

There is a lot to unpack there.

I see a few issues with some of these complaints, and I’ll share them below because I’m curious to see what you think too.

But first, let’s see how people reacted.

And keep reading, because after that I’ll get to his response a week later, a few details that I think are important when looking at the whole story, and the question his videos raised for me.

How People Reacted

The comments came quickly, and most of the ones I went through pushed back against his conclusion.

Some focused on the fact that he was visiting another country but judging it by American expectations.

“The audacity of an American to criticise Italy 🤣,” one person wrote.

Another was even more direct: “Yes Americans, please don’t come to Italy, or better yet, Europe. ☕️”

One of the longer comments argued that traveling requires a little more open-mindedness: “You can’t go to another country and expect everything to be exactly the way it is back home. Italy is Italy. Yes, they eat pasta. Yes, they have different customs.”

The commenter also pushed back on the claim that Italians don’t use deodorant and said that expecting American food, habits, conveniences and standards while traveling abroad is likely to end in disappointment.

“Italy doesn’t need to adapt to you. You’re the one visiting Italy,” the comment concluded.

Several people made the same point much more briefly.

“Italy isn’t trash… it’s just people need to stop coming to different countries with the same expectations they have of the States.”

“Love Italy. Europe isn’t like America. Adapt to their culture and be open minded. Their food is amazing and their ingredients are fresh.”

Others challenged his description of Italian food.

One person from Croatia wrote that Italy has some of the best food in the world and suggested that someone from the US might simply be used to a very different type of food.

Another commenter had the opposite take entirely: “American Italian food is far superior to Italian Italian food.”

And someone else went even further: “Italy has the WORST pizza. the American version of all their food is superior.”

His complaint about restaurant service also prompted explanations from people familiar with Italy.

“In Italy waiters don’t check on you like at American restaurants. They expect that you sit and take your time and don’t bother you. That’s the culture and honestly I don’t mind it,” one person explained.

Then there were people whose own trips had been completely different.

One traveler who spent a month in Italy described it as one of the best trips of their life, recalling great food and several encounters with Italians who went out of their way to help – including an older couple who came back to make sure they hadn’t become lost after asking for directions.

“Our own attitudes and expectations often color our views more than the actual experience,” the commenter wrote.

Another said: “Visited Italy 4 times, 4 different cities. You will never make me hate Italy!”

Someone who had just returned from Rome, Sicily, Naples and Venice said they experienced almost the exact opposite of what Green described: “Good water, air conditioning, no one smelled bad either, taxis everywhere and everyone was so nice. 🤷🏼‍♀️”

Then People Started Talking About When and Where He Went

One of the biggest criticisms was his itinerary: Milan, Venice, and Florence during the height of summer.

One commenter compared it to visiting Times Square on New Year’s Eve, getting annoyed by the crowds and deciding that New York is terrible.

They pointed out that Green had chosen three of Italy’s most heavily visited cities during one of the busiest and hottest periods of the year, then judged the entire country from that experience.

The commenter suggested places such as Naples, Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Sardinia, the Dolomites, the Italian lakes, and smaller towns, as well as returning in September or October.

Another person gave similar advice: “Don’t go in the summer. It’s honestly super hot and uncomfortable. But also don’t go to Italy with an urgency to do anything. It’s about taking things slow and easy with no time restraints. And enjoy it more at night in the summer. It’s definitely more fun in Rome at night.”

But He Definitely Wasn’t Alone

While most of the comments I read disagreed with him, there were also people who said he was right.

“As an Italian American who has also been to Italy and visited family there, this guy is 100% correct,” one person wrote.

Another complained: “It’s smelly asf and the cigarette smoke! Everything is old, you pay for dirty bathrooms! It’s ridiculous.”

“Going to Europe really showed me how much I take the US for granted,” another person said.

A French expat who said they had also lived in Italy and Japan argued that the US offered the most convenient living situation.

And some comments went much further than Italy itself. One person simply wrote: “I feel like all of Europe stinks.”

There were also accusations of racism and other negative experiences that went beyond Green’s original complaints.

So the reaction wasn’t completely one-sided. But from the comments I went through — and I certainly didn’t read all 30,000+ of them — most seemed to disagree with his overall verdict on Italy, even when some people admitted that a few of his individual complaints sounded familiar.

There are a few things I think need to be considered here too.

But first, there is another part of the story: about a week later, after millions of views and tens of thousands of comments, Green responded.

A Few Things to Consider Before Judging the Trip

When visiting a new destination, especially one on another continent, I always say that we need to do our research first.

And I don’t mean just checking the top attractions and booking a hotel.

It helps to know the best time to visit, the weather you can expect, how transportation works, local customs and etiquette, restaurant hours and even little details that could become very annoying if you’re expecting things to be exactly like they are at home.

Italy in July and August can be very hot and extremely crowded, especially in some of its most famous tourist destinations. Several people commenting on Green’s video pointed out the timing of his trip.

Dining is another area where expectations can clash very quickly.

Restaurant service, meal times, how and when you ask for the check, tipping, and even coffee habits can be different from what an American traveler is used to. I have an entire guide to Italian dining etiquette, including restaurant bills, coffee culture, meal times, and other rules that are useful to know before a trip.

The check issue he mentioned, for instance, is something travelers should know about before arriving. In Italy, you’re generally not being rushed out of a restaurant as soon as you’ve finished eating, and you may need to ask for the bill.

And then there is something even more basic: choosing the right destination for you. I have a detailed guide on how to choose a travel destination because I genuinely think this part of travel planning is underestimated.

Each of us has different preferences. We have different budgets, interests, comfort levels, and even health or mobility restrictions. One person wants museums and centuries of history. Someone else wants beaches. Another person cares a lot about nightlife, modern hotels, huge portions, reliable AC or being able to get everywhere quickly.

If several basic parts of the local culture are things you know you won’t enjoy, there’s a good chance you’ll come home disappointed no matter how famous the destination is.

And yes, bad timing matters too. A city you dislike when it’s packed with tourists and unbearably hot might feel completely different several months later.

A Week Later, He Responded

The first video did exactly what an “unpopular opinion” video tends to do when millions of people see it.

It started an enormous argument.

When I checked, the original video had more than 583,000 likes and 34,500 comments.

Green posted another video showing himself in a field at sunset with text about how it felt leaving Italy.

Then, about a week after the original video, he posted a more direct response to everything that had happened.

He starts by saying:

“I thought it was an unpopular opinion, but it turns out it’s not.”

He then talks about the amount of hate and backlash he received, saying that it was “actually crazy to me” and that he found it pretty funny.

He also says:

“I guess I forgot that freedom of speech doesn’t exist in Italy.”

He comes back to several of his original complaints, including air conditioning, ice, and the protein issue.

He says he likes driving Italian cars and wearing Italian clothes – but prefers doing so from the comfort of his air-conditioned home in the United States.

And he doesn’t back away from his original video.

He argues that what he said wasn’t rude and describes the things he mentioned as facts, again bringing up his difficulty finding the type of protein he wanted while traveling in Italy.

The second video started another huge discussion of its own, with more than 32,000 comments when I checked.

And plenty of people agreed with him.

“Europe is over romanticized. South America is way cooler,” one person wrote.

Another added: “And they can’t make a good cup of coffee.”

One commenter took a more mixed position: “Everything you said was the truth but you can’t say a country is trash because they have different diet and lack of a/c. It could get you cancelled. Most tourists go there for art and history and pope maybe.”

“He might have a point except for the food. That’s their traditional dishes,” another wrote.

Someone else agreed with one of his most debated complaints: “He’s not lying. It was a daily hunt for protein. 😆”

Another traveler suggested changing the season entirely: “The best time to go is winter. Blessedly free of crowds, people are nicer, you can get into nice restaurants without a long wait, no long lines for the attractions.”

There were also plenty of simple agreements:

“My friend also hated Italy.”

“It’s cause all you said is facts swear 👏”

“Naw bro my cousin went he hated it. Waste of money.”

Others focused on the food complaint.

“Oohhh yeah cause there’s no steak, chicken nor fish in any restaurant in Italy 😂,” one commenter replied.

And once again, the discussion became much bigger than one person’s vacation.

There Are Three More Things I Think Are Worth Considering

The initial video was picked up by BoardingArea, later republished by BuzzNews, and discussed by The TJ & Riggins Show. It also generated numerous response videos on social media.

But there are three details I think are worth keeping in mind.

First, unpopular opinions are part of his content.

If you look through Green’s videos, you’ll see that many of them revolve around unpopular opinions on different subjects. So an intentionally provocative take isn’t out of character for his account.

Second, famous destinations really do disappoint some people.

I’ve never believed that every traveler has to love every famous place.

People can have a bad trip because they chose the wrong season, ran into crowds, had several bad experiences in a row, expected something completely different, disliked parts of the local culture or simply discovered that a destination everyone else loves isn’t for them.

That’s travel too.

Third, everyone involved gets to have an opinion.

Green was free to tell millions of people exactly what he thought about Italy. The people watching were equally free to tell him exactly what they thought about his video.

His comment that freedom of speech “doesn’t exist in Italy” is provocative, but Italy protects freedom of expression. Criticism from thousands of people online is also very different from being prevented by a government from expressing an opinion.

But Where Is the Line Between an Experience and an Insult?

This is another interesting angle – especially as it seems to come up more and more recently, as it did in this situation when a man asked the people next to him to stop eating with their mouths open, and the video, seen by millions, has many comments, but people can’t decide who is ruder. 

How do we share negative travel experiences?

If you say, “I hated Italy,” you’re describing how you felt.

If you say the service was too slow for you, you couldn’t deal with the heat, you didn’t like the food available to you or you hated how crowded the cities were, those are parts of your experience.

But what happens when the description changes to “Italy is trash,” “nobody uses deodorant,” “everyone smells bad,” “the people are rude” and three very different cities are “all the same”?

Is that still simply blunt honesty about a vacation?

Or has a personal experience turned into a judgment about millions of people and an entire country?

And then there’s his final recommendation: “Don’t come to Italy.”

Would you tell other people to skip an entire country because you personally had a bad experience there?

I’m genuinely curious where you draw the line.

Do you think his videos were simply an honest account of his experience, or do you think the way he expressed it was rude?

And do you think he was right to tell other travelers, “Don’t come to Italy”?

Sources Used for This Article

• Kaleb Green’s initial TikTok video about Italy
• Kaleb Green’s follow-up TikTok video responding to the reaction
• The TJ & Riggins Show — August 11, 2026 episode discussing Green’s Italy video
• BoardingArea — “American man goes to Italy. His illusion is shattered when he realizes what it’s actually like: ‘Just canceled my trip'”
• BuzzNews — French republication of the BoardingArea story

Violeta Loredana

Violeta-Loredana Pascal is a communications expert, business mentor, and the founder of Earth’s Attractions and PRwave INTERNATIONAL. A pioneer in the Romanian digital PR landscape since 2005, she holds a degree in Communication and Social Sciences from SNSPA Bucharest. Violeta is a senior trainer at AcademiadeAfaceri.ro, where she leverages over 20 years of experience to teach professional courses in PR strategy and workplace productivity. By blending high-level business consulting with a passion for holistic travel and wellness, she empowers solopreneurs to overcome procrastination, build profitable brands, and design a life of purposeful adventure.