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One summer, Barbara Hutton came to Venice after
recently marrying the tennis star Gottfried von Cramm.
She had a following of at least 30 people. She tried to
hide her congenital unhappiness in alcohol, which was
aggravated by her fearful obsession of being surrounded
by people who only took advantage of her. She paid her
bills at Harry's Bar only if they'd been signed by Cipriani in
person. That year there was a big party in Torcello. When
she paid the bill, she tipped each and every one, from the
parish priest to the cooks, and as she continued signing one
check after another, she kept asking: "Cipriani, please tell me.
Is there anyone else I might have inconvenienced?"