I was as shocked as if a German had said that a short Austrian with a funny moustache would set the country straight. Even more surprising was that the declaration invariably came from a Berlusconi-hater. The idea got no less scary after several repetitions, but I began to detect a pattern.
A similar idea circulated on the eve of European integration in 1992. Italians were particularly excited because they believed the EU’s mano forte would put Italy in riga; it would impose the unpopular and difficult measures necessary for Italy to realize its full potential (It didn't.)