ITALY: What Ever Became of La Dolce Vita?

For Italians la dolce vita has turned as harsh and unpleasant as the unseasonably cold and wet Roman spring. The economic miracle of Il Boom has petered out, leaving inflation and unemployment. The average Italian worker now spends $1.22 of his $1.55 hourly salary merely for food and shelter. Unemployment stands at 1,167,000, or 6.1% of the working force. Housing is so limited that every city has its shack dwellers—while Italy has a surplus of empty luxury apartments. Hospitals are desperately overcrowded; schools are running on three shifts. Rome University, built to...