Which nation do you see as culturally closest to Greece, all factors considered?

[Percivalle]

Afghanistan

From my personal experience, italy, from river Po to Sicily, except of Sikeliot's ancestor's neighboorhood. For sure Ladin people have nothing in common with Greece, maybe Lombardians too.

Not only the Ladins, I'd say most of the North-Central Italians, especially those who live in the western side and in the Alps and Prealps.

Of course generally speaking there are also many similarities, because there is indeed a common feeling in almost all southern Europe, from Iberia to Greece, and Nafplio, that was ruled for a long time by the Venetians, reminds of an old Italian town especially in the old town. But at the same time there are also many differences. Even the Greek and Italian cuisine, that share a common mediterranean substrate (but that doesn't really exist in north Italy for example), have many differences. Many traditional Greek recipes simply don't exist in Italy, neither in South Italy. Unfortunately, except the feta and the Greek yoghurt you won't find many other Greek products in an Italian supermarket. You have more chance of finding a Japanese or Chinese restaurant in Italy rather than a Greek one. While the Greek traditional music reminds only of some southern Italian folk music from Salento or Sicily.

Are these differences unbridgeable? I think that the difference between us Europeans and the Americans is that we Europeans love the differences, we are proud of our differences, while Americans prefer the homogenisation because it's more reassuring.

The sad fact is that almost none of the modern Greek writers, intellectuals, artists, actors, singers are known in Italy, except the Greek international stars. For us it's extremely difficult to follow what happens in Greece reading the Greek sites, being we can't read your alphabet (and neither the Greek language). On the other hand countries like France and Spain are more covered by Italian mass-media, and for us it's easier to read a French or Spanish site, and the Italian tv often airs French or Spanish movies (more the French though).

[brennus dux gallorum]

Of course generally speaking there are also many similarities, because there is indeed a common feeling in almost all southern Europe, from Iberia to Greece, and a city like Nafplio, that was ruled for a long time by the Venetians, reminds of an old Italian town. But at the same time there are also many differences. Even the Greek and Italian cuisine, that share a common mediterranean substrate (but that doesn't really exist in north Italy for example), have many differences.

for these reasons i wrote "Greece is a category on its own, mostly associated to the mediterranean European countries."

Greece is mediterranean, has interacted very much with most of mediterranean Southern European countries, it's a "naval" nation, yet, even though it's latin influenced,it's still a non-latin country.
BTW the accent of Greek language overlaps latin

[Queen B]

Having ancestry from 3 areas in Greece and having lived in 6 , I mean what I say that Greece is unique.

Of course, you can find similarities with Italy, Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, etc, but little aspects of culture with little aspects of their culture. We are between all those countries, but we don't share too much common things with any of them . I mean, we are Orthodox like most of Balkans and some EE but we are neither Slavic or we were never communist.
On the other hand, we are part of what is called (politically) ''West'', but we don't share the Catholic ancestry and lifestyle of Western Europe.

Culture is not only music, only food , only architecture, only religion or only the way of life. Culture is ALL of them together, plus many many more, like the customs, the goals in life, the people's personality characteristics.

In many of the listed countries, anyone can find some common cultural aspects more or less, but that's it. I find Greece pretty unique.

[Bosniensis]

Having ancestry from 3 areas in Greece and having lived in 6 , I mean what I say that Greece is unique.

Of course, you can find similarities with Italy, Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, etc, but little aspects of culture with little aspects of their culture. We are between all those countries, but we don't share too much common things with any of them . I mean, we are Orthodox like most of Balkans and some EE but we are neither Slavic or we were never communist.
On the other hand, we are part of what is called (politically) ''West'', but we don't share the Catholic ancestry and lifestyle of Western Europe.

Culture is not only music, only food , only architecture, only religion or only the way of life. Culture is ALL of them together, plus many many more, like the customs, the goals in life, the people's personality characteristics.

In many of the listed countries, anyone can find some common cultural aspects more or less, but that's it. I find Greece pretty unique.

No, Entire Europe was just like you have described Greece.

But, Germanic tribes (Franks, Lombards) etc.. have conquered those lands, slaughtered most of Celts, Gauls etc..
and nowdays we have a foreign.. Germanic civilization that came from Black Sea and Scandinavia.

I see no difference between Turkish Civilization and Germanic Civilization... they are both foreigners to Europe,
which is why you do actually find a difference between so called "Western world" and Greece.

[Óttar]

[catgeorge]

Germans foreign to Europe

Queen B is right - Greece has been an isolated country due to the communist block - accept it or not. We are different based on this alone. Greece's main trading partner whilst commies were practising mediocrity was Italy. Because it sure wasn't Turkey.

So our Northern and Eastern borders have been completed closed off - Eastern borders still closed off.

We are politically aligned with Western Europe and theres not much anyone can do about it as we didn't have a choice

[Bosniensis]

Germans foreign to Europe

Queen B is right - Greece has been an isolated country due to the communist block - accept it or not. We are different based on this alone. Greece's main trading partner whilst commies were practising mediocrity was Italy. Because it sure wasn't Turkey.

So our Northern and Eastern borders have been completed closed off - Eastern borders still closed off.

We are politically aligned with Western Europe and theres not much anyone can do about it as we didn't have a choice

I am just saying that modern History is just a politically correct version of history.

Romans fought Germans for hundreds of years, to protect "Europe" from them.

There is a reason why they fought them.

The reason is to be found in the Books written by the famous Roman/Greek historians. Feel free to explore a bit.

[Nurzat]

Which nations do you view as sufficiently culturally similar to Greece?

Albania, Italy, Turkey and Lebanon

[catgeorge]

This is our country and what we consider unique as its been like this for thousands of years even under Venetian and Ottoman Rule

























Greece doesn't have Skyscrapers etc.. the people represent their environment and this is ours.

[Nurzat]

I'm going to recalculate the poll votes without the Albanian users' votes, which will be a much better reflection to me of what is accurate.

why would you put Romania on the list - 1/3 of the country is occupied by spruce and fir-forested mountains (Carpathian landscape, like west Ukraine and south Poland), 1/3 of steppe and forest-steppe (like south Ukraine) and 1/3 is Transylvanian plateau, that looks central European (it was also inhabited by Hungarians and Germans, so architecture also, not only landscape). plus Dobrudja by the seaside, which looks Turkish in the south (where it's inhabited by Turks and Tatars) and totally original in the Danube Delta (inhabited by Lipovan Russians and Hohol Ukrainians).

clime, landscape, architecture - nothing Greek.

faces - south Romanians are darker, but they cannot pass as Greeks, because while Greeks are very CM-derived, south Romanians are a Bulgarian-Vlach-Cuman/Pecheneg mix, and they are more gracil than Greeks.

the only common thing is the Orthodox religion, but Greeks are much more Western influenced on it (they have seats in the churches)

also, Greeks don't share the communist past, that left social and cityscape traces