For anyone who likes living in a palace, presiding over state banquets and dedicating buildings, the presidency of Italy can be a highly rewarding seven-year job. But restless, silver-haired Giovanni Gronchi, who has held the post since 1955, has never adjusted himself to being a constitutional figurehead. He prefers power to pomp, any day. Last week, as Italy's latest political crisis dragged into its second month, Gronchi was well on his way to having both.
The fact that there was any crisis at all was partly Gronchi's doing. Premier Antonio Segni's government fell because of a split in the four-party coalition that...
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