Modern Italy does argue that it is the proper successor to the Roman Empire, but if you do look at the history of the nations (and city states) that rose and fell between the split of the Roman Empire into West and East/Byzantine around 395, and the formation of a unified Italy in 1861, that’s a bit of a stretch.
The US could indeed become the next italy, politically
a once great empire that crumbled
Italy was never a great empire.
Modern Italy does argue that it is the proper successor to the Roman Empire, but if you do look at the history of the nations (and city states) that rose and fell between the split of the Roman Empire into West and East/Byzantine around 395, and the formation of a unified Italy in 1861, that’s a bit of a stretch.