To ‘ciao’ or not?

To ciao

Or not to ciao?

Across Italy, you’ll hear a greeting

That rhymes with chow and is handy

To say hi or bye, nothing fancy.

But don’t overuse ciao like candy,

Because of the word’s true meaning.

A Venetian phrase is the root:

Literally: “I am your slave”

Comes from when Venice ruled Slavs

From the cradle to the grave

In the country shaped like a boot.

Morphing into “at your service”

And said informally nowadays

To pals and peers in Italia,

The meaning from its origin strays

But ciao still makes some folks nervous.

Especially when a stranger

Says ciao it may seem impolite

To an older Italian who might

Consider the greeting a blight

So, tourists, weigh the greeting danger.

To ciao

Or not to ciao?

Visitors, you have some options:

Salve works anytime to say hello

Buongiorno says bye and hello

Arrivederci means bye, not hello

In short, use ciao with caution