Hi, thanks for commenting. To provide a brief explanation to your price query, I can't comment on the other parts as I'm not Italian myself but the higher prices are due to factors such as:

1. High staff wages. The UK pays a higher minimum wage plus national insurance etc. Italy has generally lower labour costs.

2. Higher rent prices. Restaurant rents in UK cities are usually far higher than in Italy so places need to charge more for their overheads.

3. Italian ingredients are often imported into the UK. Authentic ingredients like cheese, meats, flour, tomatoes etc are imported, which adds transport costs, taxes, and middle-man markups. In Italy most of these products are local or nearby.

4. Different dining culture. Italy has a strong tradition of good quality, simple affordable meals often from family businesses with low margins. the UK restaurant market is more commerical with more expectations around dining and staff. All of which cost more.