Italy is considered — first and foremost by Italians themselves — a small, peripheral nation on the verge of decay. So it's fair to ask how this is possible.
I share here my personal perspective. Context: I've lived in many Italian cities, built a career as a marketing manager at Ray-Ban, Incotex and PT Torino traveling extensively worldwide, hold a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree, and specialize in data analysis and evidence-based marketing. I recently founded a growing marketing agency. I'm the most widely read author on Quora Italia and my name appears in the Treccani encyclopedia.
The typical elements of a nation that can't respect itself
Historically, outside the period of the Roman Empire, Italy has been a land partitioned and conquered by other peoples. From the Greeks to the Spanish to the Austrians. When you're used to surviving under other empires, you don't develop a perception of grandeur about yourself.
Italy is, like other European countries, literally a colony of the United States. In my view of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. saved us from ourselves and made us a world economic power for some time. Italy produced companies like Olivetti, which alone represents all the unexpressed genius of our people. Without the U.S., Italy would be exactly like Argentina. However, it's one thing to be a colony like France or Spain — nations with an imperial spirit — and quite another to be one like Italy, without any such aspiration.
The conservatism that holds us back
We are among the most conservative peoples in the world. This makes us rigid, slow to innovate, terrified of change. But also incredibly capable of preserving traditions, beauty, and quality of life.
Italy is a living paradox: a country that produces excellence in nearly every field — from fashion to design, from cuisine to engineering — but can't create a cohesive system. Every region, every city, every neighborhood is a world unto itself. It's both our strength and our curse.
What we truly lack
We lack a shared narrative. Americans have the American Dream. The French have la grandeur. We have the lament. "Things were better when they were worse" is practically our unofficial national anthem.
And yet, if you look at the numbers — GDP per capita, life expectancy, cultural heritage, food quality, biodiversity — Italy is objectively among the best places in the world to live.
The problem isn't Italy. The problem is that Italians don't know they live in an extraordinary place. And those who do know are too busy complaining to enjoy it.
