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I was recently lucky enough to spend some time in Italy. While I was there, taking in the glorious works of art and trying to figure out where on Lake Como George Clooney's villa might be, it occurred to me that, you know, the Italians have given the world a lot. But they haven't given us a great rock band. Seriously, where is the kickass Italian rock star? Bland blues shouter Zucchero? Supper club snoozer Eros Ramazzotti? Germany, England, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands have all produced killer rock acts, but not Italy. But maybe, like kids who flourish when they get out from under their parent's expectations, Italians had to get away from the land of Da Vinci and Michelangelo in order to produce good rock‘n'roll, because Italian-Americans have kicked out some spicy jams. To prove it, below is my list of the top ten Italian-American rockers. Maybe the old country can learn something:

1. Bruce Springsteen--The name sounds Jewish (it's actually of Dutch descent), but Springsteen's mom's maiden name is Zirilli. But even if you didn't know that, the abundance of Catholic imagery on Springsteen's earliest albums certainly suggested Italian roots.

2. Jon Bon Jovi--The son of a Sicilian, New Jersey's second favorite rocker (Springsteen's No. 1) was christened John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. Bandmate Richie Sambora is also half-Italian, though on his muddah's side.

3. Frank Zappa--Zappa is also of Sicilian origin. Oddly enough, Uncle Frank shares his name with the 18th century Italian composer named Francesco Zappa (it's unknown if the two are related). The latter-day Zappa covered the compositions of his namesake on 1984's Francesco Zappa album.

4. Steven Tyler--Steven Tallarico doesn't quite have the same ring, does it? Tyler's dad Victor was also a musician, and allowed his son to play occasional drums in his early '60s band, the Vic Tallarico Orchestra.

5. Ronnie James Dio--He may look like he crawled out of a cave, but the pint-sized screamer came into this world as Ronald Padavona in Porstmouth, New Hampshire. In interviews, Dio's talked about his dissatisfaction growing up in the Catholic Church. One look at the cover of Holy Diver could've told you that.

6. Steve Albini--A producer for the likes of Nirvana and Pixies, and an influential musician in his own right with his bands Big Black and Shellac, Albini's also an outspoken opponent of major label business practices and digital recording. For a laugh, check out this video Albini discussing the Silkwork song, "Fake Italian."

7. Laura Nyro--Italian-Americans have long had an affinity for R&B-based music, but only Laura Nyro, with her gospel piano hooks and gymnastic melodies, took that influence and made something truly her own. Born Laura Nigro, the singer changed her surname after too many "negro" mispronunciations.

8. Ani DiFranco--Not only is Angela Maria DiFranco a feminist-rock icon and an astute business woman, her Italian is better than restaurant-ready. DiFranco's official live bootleg, Live @ Qube features the singer conversing in Italian with an audience of rabid Romans.

9. Rivers Cuomo--You won't find much evidence of Italian roots in the Weezer mainman's music, but Cuomo's Italianness comes through in his love of soccer. Weezer fan clubs have speculated that Cuomo's father, also a soccer fanatic, named his son in tribute to the famous Italian players Gianni Rivera and Luigi Riva.

10. Dean Ween--Away from Ween, the guitarist goes by Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo. The self-described, "proud Italian-American," takes his heritage seriously: here's a recipe for tomato sauce that Deaner posted on the Ween website a while back.

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