SICILY, VENICE: A LETTER TO THE ECONOMIST (December 13, 2009)
When ruminating about Europe’s genteel decline, Giuseppe di Lampedusa can be fun to read, just as you suggest, but his Sicily is hardly an alluring backstage (“Lessons from ‘The Leopard’,” December 12, 2009). Venice surely is, though. At the risk of repeating many of my letters to your mighty newspaper, a few of which have found their way into print over the years, the Serene Republic has managed to survive the end of the Fifteenth Century, when an alternate way to India was discovered and its economic base was swept away, by at least three centuries. And in quite some splendor, too. Indeed, this is the best Europe can hope for at present. Sidelined by world events, just like Venice was once upon a time, it can offer many a delight for the rest of the world to covet for years on end. Fashion and art come first to mind. Fine cuisine and monuments galore are not far behind. Add sensual joys of all sorts, not to mention prostitution at its best, and you have a tourist haven to dream about. Europe has much to offer for centuries to come even in its dotage. In short, forget about Sicily and focus on Venice, which milks all manner of eager visitors to this very day.