Since Italy is now our favorite “in” country, its fashions, furnishings, and food having superseded those of France in popularity, I can’t help being amazed at how few Americans realize that Italy is actually a modern country, and are disappointed to find that this is so.
I have talked with many people on the subject, but only a very few of them have figured out that all those wonderful clothes and shoes, the 14karat-gold jewelry, olive oil, wine, etc., etc. are the products of an industrial society like our own, geared to mass production, and that they could not be produced unless the people were willing to work. The Italy of mamma mia, addio, and sentimentally simple songs is gone, and the country has developed a hard, competitive edge.
Comments