Travel letters: A warning if you’re involved in an accident with a rental car company

The July 17 “On the Spot” column (“Who Pays? Law Is Clear” by Catharine Hamm) was spot on, as rental car companies and insurance companies are not always stand-up places when you are involved in an accident with one of their clients.

One warning: If the police report only lists a P.O. box for the offender, it’s near impossible to get them served. You have to make sure all the information is correct, otherwise you’ll be out the service fee and the small claims fee.

Julie T. Byers, Arcadia

Sicily scintillates

Great article on Syracuse, Italy [“Sicily’s Open Secret,” July 3], but I was disappointed that author John Henderson did not mention the legend of Damocles and his sword. The legend stated that Damocles, the tyrant of Syracuse, had a sword hanging over his head tied with a horse’s tail hair.

Another well-known legend involves Syracuse’s Ear of Dionysius cave. It’s said that the tyrant Dionysius kept prisoners here and that the acoustics were such that he could listen to what they were whispering.

The truly best cannoli are in the west coast of Sicily in Trapani or Palermo.

Thank you for showing the beauty of Sicily. Paraphrasing Goethe, to come to Italy and not to visit Sicily is like you never went to Italy. Goethe loved Sicily.

John Rosati, Simi Valley

A tip on tipping

Regarding Shelley Keith’s July 3 letter on tipping: Her London taxi driver hit the nail on the head.

Her letter quoted him as saying, “We are not a tipping culture like the U.S. I get paid very well to do my job.”

That probably speaks for most in Britain’s hospitality service industry, if not Europe in general.

It’s also called pride. There is tipping, but it usually involves “rounding up” the bill.

Remember too that not all countries have the same U.S. tipping culture.

A tip can be insulting or embarrassing in some instances.

Its always best to be informed of your destination’s tipping culture.

Carl Addicott, Altadena