Nonetheless two weeks spent driving around France and Italy do put the seasoned European traveler in mind of how far these countries have come in material terms, notwithstanding their present difficulties. Except for the grimy industrial neighborhoods where unemployment's spoliation is sadly evident, or in the countryside where poverty and backwardness can be seen, France and Italy have come a long way. All the manifestations of modern opulence are present. Cars and appliances are everywhere and they are very good-though in Italy the motor scooter and motorcycle are suddenly in fashion. Cell telephones are in use in the cafes along the side streets even in this southern Italian town and even in rural villages.
People dress smartly, dine aplaustically, and seem to be in fine fettle.
For three decades after World War II, a visiting American possessed of any perceptiveness whatsoever would see a Europe that lingered far behind the United States in comforts. Now a stay in Paris or Rome is as comfortable for the visiting American as a stay in Chicago or New York, and the charm of these European cities has not been sacrificed to modern efficiencies-at least not much. This great improvement in the quality of life here despite a lethargic and overregulated economy brings to mind the burden of European history in the Twentieth Century. Two brutal ideological movements wasted the Continent, bringing murder, genocide, pillage, and war. Both inspirations are completely gone.