>...but still isn't a patch on the (IMO) greatest national anthem of them all, La Marseillaise

I have no idea what the words are (in Italian or English), but I find the Italian national anthem very hard to beat. It's an uptempo march tune which, when you hear it, is hard to refrain from grinning like a split watermelon. It also seems to have this effect on the people proudly singing along. The music alone for me embodies the emotiveness of the Italian people.

stales