I experienced that it is quite frequently a language problem in Italy. They are far from being fluent in English and this results in short and sometimes harsh sentences.

Being a native German speaker with a poor command of Italian and a somehow good command (linguisticly and culturallly) command of English I notice that the (English) language Italians use might appear harsh, rude or even offensive for a native English speaker. Knowing what they want to say in Italian puts it into a different perspective and coming from a culture with a language (or a use of language) known to be short and sometimes rude puts it into a different perspective again.

The concierge and the water taxi is a perfect example: "The concierge said all water taxies were busy. That was it!". The concierge was probably right, but the customer was unhappy, the answer was not really helpful.

Coming from my culture I would not have been surprised about that answer but had asked him whether he could order one or when we can expect a taxi to arrive. He would certainly have been very happy to answer this. No need for him to make a long statement in a foreign language. I am perfectly aware that the approach of a concierge in (some parts of the US) would have been different and such concierge would have chatted for long. However, just imagine the US concierge having to speak in foreign languages. If you had approached a NY concierge in Italian you would have had a 1:20 change that he understood you - but only if he had Italian roots. German? Forget about this, no chance.