Understanding Italian

I am referring to the language here, and to any person. Of course, when it comes to people, they are confusing too, but I guess I should not talk about it.

Ciao! It is probably the most commonly used word in Italian. I come down from my hotel room, and the receptionist greets me by saying ciao! And when I leave, she still says ciao! It is the same while you go to any store. The moment you enter, they say ciao, and while you leave, it is ciao again! In office, it feels like a ciao feast! Ciao in the morning, ciao in the coffee break, ciao while you leave for lunch, ciao when you come back from lunch, and ciao when you leave in the evening! Sometimes they say ciao ciao! And on special occasions, they go like ciao ciao caio!

I was a little confused. Now, does ciao mean hi or bye? So, I ask this girl in office (who, by the way, is also my part time Italian teacher) about this. She said its neither hi, nor bye! It actually means hello! Hello? Huh? I asked her why is that people wish someone hello while they leave. Her answer was that it was friendlier that way! Some explanation that!

Buongiorno! This is second in the list, both for its usage, and for confusion! People wish you buongiorno, right from morning till about four in the evening. And after that, its Buona Sera, which means good evening. What happened to afternoon?! Again, I ask this girl, and she replied that its morning till three, and then its afternoon for an hour, followed by evening! (I am not making this up, she actually told me that! Honest!) But how?!

Anyway, now if ciao means hello, you expect people to say ciao while they answer their phones, right? Nahh! They say pronto! And some say pronti! Obviously, I am not asking for any explanations this time!

And hey! Ciao!