ROME and Milan are like France and England, Oxford and Cambridge, the Knicks and the Bulls. Rivalries range from politics to television, from food (Milan's is better) to atmosphere (Rome wins hands down), from traffic to soccer (they both, these days, seem to lose). And, with mayoral elections coming up this year (Milan's next month, Rome's in the autumn) and a fairly recent law giving cities more power, a more serious question may soon be hanging over Italy's two great rivals: which is the better run?

ROME and Milan are like France and England, Oxford and Cambridge, the Knicks and the Bulls. Rivalries range from politics to television, from food (Milan's is better) to atmosphere (Rome wins hands down), from traffic to soccer (they both, these days, seem to lose). And, with mayoral elections coming up this year (Milan's next month, Rome's in the autumn) and a fairly recent law giving cities more power, a more serious question may soon be hanging over Italy's two great rivals: which is the better run?