Cat in the Rain Theme of Foreignness and The Other

The opening sentence of "Cat in the Rain" introduces this theme perfectly:

There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel. (1)

Even though we proceed through the story from the perspective of these Americans, and even though the writer is an American himself, the husband and wife are being put in the position of "foreigner" and "outsider." By creating this situation, Hemingway allows us (as well as the wife) to look at the American attitude more critically.

1. Why does Hemingway make the couple the only Americans at the hotel?
2. Why is the story set in Italy?
3. How and why does Hemingway shift between Italian and English in the dialogue?
4. How does the setting of a hotel bring foreignness specifically to your attention – or mediate it?
   

The American wife is enthralled by the old world traditions for which the padrone stands—more so than the man himself. Her attraction to his foreignness is only a part of her frustration with her own way of living.

Hemingway uses the mix of Italian and English dialogue as a symbol for the even greater divide and difference between the American couple and the Italians around them.