Italian 'latin lover' falls flat with tourists: poll

Italy's fabled "Latin lovers" are missing the mark with foreign belles, according to a poll released Sunday that said nearly four in five women tourists were unmoved by Italian men's charms.

Seventy-nine percent said they would not fall for an Italian, with many saying they lacked cheerfulness and a sense of humour (51 percent), while others complained they were childish (49 percent).

Another reason for the lack of attraction is that today's Italian men show more of their feminine than their masculine side, according to 57 percent of the 1,000 women polled by tourist and gastronomy magazine Vie del Gusto.

The most likely to make a woman's heart flutter were students, businessmen and holiday resort DJs and entertainers, the survey said.

But although not seen as dream partners, Italian men still won points for being gallant (78 percent), well-dressed (67 percent) and attentive (59 percent), although 43 percent said they were not as athletic as they could be.

And seduction aside, Italian people in general continued to impress foreigners with their style (73 percent), charm (69 percent), friendliness (55 percent) and politeness (51 percent).