a nod to the Al Piave Hotel

On our first afternoon in Venice a local guide took us on a walking tour over the bridges and through twisty narrow little streets opening into sun drenched private little courtyards. As we walked, the area reminded me of the Al Piave Hotel, a little 3-story (no elevator) hotel where we stayed 5 years ago on my first trip to Venice.  I asked the guide if she knew the Al Piave, thinking the chances were slim, but she knew the place.  Turned out we were close to it at one point but we had gone too far before I mentioned it to her so I didn't get to see it.  She knew the family however and told me that the son, in college, was coming home on holidays now and was planning to take over running the hotel within a few years. She seemed quite pleased about this.  She went on to explain that mainly because of the cost of housing the population of Venice is declining as young families move to the suburbs.  She also said that the average age of people living in Venice now is 70.  I think the operative phrase there was "living in".  There were lots of younger people wherever I looked.