Yes... Here in Italy Mennea is an icon, just like Pantani for example, both doper obviously...
Of course, but Pantani was also a very exciting cyclist to watch. I remember many of his attacks, great memories. Italy have for a long time had knowledgeable people in regards to sports physiology (both legal and illegal side).
But in terms of bodybuilding, I noticed many italian bodybuilders got too obsessed with Mentzer (heavy duty) and HIT in general. They should have trained with the french pumping style (buinoud, nubret etc) instead.