I've been to Italy quite a few times before and ended up here again because it was cheaper to fly from Split to Florence and then from Bologna to Paris than it was to fly direct from Split to Paris so we got a "free" trip to Italy.

Italy has convinced me not to be a fan of Italy as I started out loving the place before I went there. There's a few bright spots but mostly it's a place of frustration for me. It's a very hedonistic, extroverted culture that doesn't seem to value it's past. This bothers me. If I wanted to be in an egocentric, materialistic, judgemental society I'd stay home.

It's common in Europe not to tip in restaurants because employees are getting paid to work. Italy however, has decided that you shouldn't tip as service is included but there will be a cover charge for sitting at a table to eat your food. This cover charge is about $3 per person which ends up being about 25% of your meal. So much for Italy being a cheap place to eat great food. The food is still good but the cost isn't as nice as it used to be.