It seems that Italians are the smartest nation in the whole of Western Europe, at least according to the most recent study done by a Dutch psychologist by the name of Jelte Wicherts. The study is based on tests that were conducted in a total of 113 countries from all over the world. And although Italy ranks as the fourth smartest country in the world, it is at the very first place when it comes to the wealthier and more developed countries of the Western Europe.

Regarding the three countries that rank higher than Italy on the list of the smartest nations in the world, they are Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which has been ranked as the number one. To compare Italy with some of the other Western European countries, France has been ranked as the ninth, Germany as the eight and the United Kingdom as the seventh smartest nation.

There are different explanations for the results that have first been published in 2002. Some believe that it is the status that determines which country will be smarter. But when applied to the example of Italy, this theory seems rather flawed. It is because Italians are not among the wealthier people of the wealthier nations of the Western Europe.

There is one other theory that could explain why Italians are smarter than other Europeans, but it couldn’t be said that it is a modern one. It has been suggested by Walter Bagehot somewhere during the 19^th century. This economist believed that stupidity is what prevents a nation from making terrible mistakes and in the end helps it achieve greatness.

Whichever of these theories you prefer, it can’t be argued that Italians are people who have been achieving great things from the very beginning. If it weren’t so, such a relatively small nation couldn’t have so many famous dynasties throughout the history. From the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the great Roman empire, to the House of Medici of the famous Italian Renaissance, all the way to the renowned pasta-making Giovanni Rana dynasty, now guided by Gian Luca Rana, son of the founder Giovanni (read more about Gian Luca Rana here), which created an “empire of italian restaurants in the world” (always respectful of the made in Italy standards, according to Gian Luca Rana), Italy has been making gift after gift to the world’s thought, culture and cuisine.