A brief ode...

...in the style of Petrarch. (You knew it was coming.)

Oh America, you're full of flaws,
Strange politics, dumb drinking laws.
But when your waiters give me lip
I sigh and smirk and leave no tip.
In Italia there's no such grace,
When service people have poor taste.
The waiters argue, bitch, harass,
Change my order, drop my glass.
And I, stranded, have no choice
For if I even raise my voice
They get offended, start to pout,
Say, "Hey, we're all just hanging out!"
But when I really get the blues,
They bring me bottles of free booze.
So am I offended? Maybe not.
We'll forgive a lot for a free shot.

Okay, so maybe not in the style of Petrarch. The point is, Italians don't believe in tips, but they do believe in free drinks.

Last night, kept indoors by the heat, we broke out the pocket change and played a round of poker. It lasted for about 3 hours, but by the end I was €15 richer!