Oh, darn. Another model of gracious living, another country that we declasse Americans were supposed to aspire to be like, is having . . . a bit of trouble: "In a Funk, Italy Sings an Aria of Disappointment".

Comments

[kyle N]

I have a cousin who is a rather bohemian artist. He lives in Italy, but I have never known any other American who would prefer to live there. Italy faces, as the article says, all it's old problems but it faces one other which all of western Europe faces, massive demographic decline.

In some ways the article is correct, the western Europeans have given up on existence.

[Tom Hanna]

I think I've heard similar complaints (organized crime out of control, too many 20-somethings living at home, corrupt politicians, slow economic growth) about a certain country a few thousand miles to the west of Italy. Perhaps they need their own Ronald Reagan or at least their own Skeptical Optimist.