Off The Grand Canal, A Simple Vevetian Inn

”It’s not necessary for you to be saying, ‘Grazie, grazie, grazie,’ all the time,” Adriano Carrettin is saying to a pretty young painter from Kansas who is struggling to arrange for a room in Italian. ”You see, it’s us men who should be saying ‘thank you’ to all the women like you for just being beautiful.” Laughing, Mr. Carrettin reaches across the small marble bar in front of him and clasps the flustered young woman on the shoulder.