[sparrowInHand]

Unpopular but, the south of italy is a middle eastern country, in all metrics.

[lou1306]

Unpopular? One of Italy's most popular historians likes to joke that, back in ancient Rome, any budding politician would have taken a post in Syria or Lybia over one in Gaul or (shudders) Britannia any day of the week. And every time, the audience just laughs and nods. The Mediterranean was a highway, not a frontier.

[HPsquared]

More like Greece, I think.

[pmontra]

Most of it used to be Greek colonies before Roman expansion, so yes.

[AngaraliTurk]

I've heard and read Greece being compared to the Middle East as well, more than one time.