Recently I’ve gotten a couple of shudder-inducing PR e-mails about the dangers of wearing high heels (among them: bunions, hammer toe, ingrown toenails, fungus, plantar fascitis, and something called Morton’s neuroma). It’s enough to make anyone consider the appeal of flats. However, some recognize that heels aren’t going anywhere anytime soon—among them, the mayor of Rome, who is directing the installment of “high-tech” new cobblestones of basalt that make walking easier, “especially for women in heels.” While that sounds lovely, there is something amazing about watching sleek, impossibly sophisticated Italian women effortlessly navigate the ancient streets in four-inch Pradas. Here in Chicago, we have it relatively easy with our flat, smooth streets (aside from the massive potholes), and yet people still wear Crocs.