Mrs Shout's brown eyes are firmly locked with mine.

Our faces nearly touch, as if we are lovers. Or at the very least, close friends.

But we are not. We only met a few minutes ago. And now she is shouting at me in Italian. Not angrily, of course, but the way people do to a persistently stupid person. Maybe that is what she thinks I am.

"Why can't she understand me?" I can almost make out her thoughts above the din, as she earnestly searches my face for a glimmer of comprehension, but finds none. "I'd better repeat myself," I can see her thinking, "LOUDER!"

And she does.

Fodor's Guide to Tipping in Europe

Avoid the dreaded uncertainty of tipping while dining out in Europe - brush up on local tipping customs so you know how to make a graceful exit from the table.

Put a cooking holiday on the menu

With Ribollita (first course with bread and vegetables), Coniglio alla cacciatore (second course with rabbit) and Schiacciata all uva (cake with grapes) found on the menus of some Tuscan restaurants, you can expect that's what you'll learn to cook in a Tuscan cooking holiday experience.

Castles of Wales