Yes im a big fan of italian cars, and also french cars though not all of them. Thats not important, the thing i like is that these 2 countries make cars with character, more so than other countries... There are exceptions of course, e.g Citroen arent as funky as they used to be (though the Pluriel will help) but the French make bold, elegant cars, as do the Italians.
Youre right, Lancia havent always made classic looking cars, but they did in their successful times and current styling is trying to evoke that. But you are right again, they need a stronger image to market their current line-up. Who said trying to revive a brand would be easy?