As I said, “ not necessarily valid “
“Italians currently have the highest IQ in Europe.”
And your evidence/proof is ...?
“As for the Roman Empire and Renaissance, yeah they happened in Italy.”
Yes, but again, not necessarily with the same people.
Which since vanished ethnicity do you think spawned all the Italian Renaissance figures in art and science? They were Italians and still are.
Were there incursions into Sicily and Italy since the Roman Empire? Yeah but they assimilated, left or were expelled.
Italy never became German, French or Muslim. The Empire is historically remote but modern Italy essentially is organized around the Etruscan and then Roman settlements.
Just saying.
None of the few first I found show Italians as “tops”. Not far, and generally within statistical equivalence, but not once listed as #1. (Big shock: Germans are usually 1 or 2.)
And you cannot convince me Romans ARE “Italians”, per se. lots of Greeks moved into the south even in that time and I think that is the primary source of the “classic” Italian. But I’m no scholar. Just casual dribs and drabs over many years.