re: The Wealthy in Florence Today Are the Same Families as 600 Years Ago

You bring up many good points...I still believe many people would return to rich/poor because of the value or lack of value placed on family structure. Money could prevent some from separating. Why is it we continue to spend more per student than many other countries on education yet we still lag behind then. One point I agree you mentioned is having access to reliable transportation. But even in areas like New York where the poor have access to easy transportation by the subways you see maybe the biggest differences in wealth among it's citizens. There aren't any magic easy answers but one thing I think many can agree on is around the globe too many people having too many kids. Resources are being divided among too many people.