Tipping at restaurants in Paris and Italy ?

This is the type of question that everyone always has and since one of my favorite bloggers thought well to reblog a piece about tipping in Paris – I am going to pass it on as well.

Tipping in Paris.

Tipping in Italy – well, normally we just round off the tab.  However I have found that when you are outside of the “touristy” zone it’s not really even expected.  I remember once I went to leave a tip, and everyone at the table (all Italians) just laughed and said that it was the owner serving and they told me “you don’t tip the owner.”  opps.

However, when you get into the bigger cities  you will find that they have  already started “expecting” tips and sometimes they will automatically add a service charge – you need to check the bill before paying.  Cover charge ?  That’s not a tip, that’s just a way of covering the basics  . . . like a table, chair, silverware and a menu

What has been your experience with tipping in Italy?