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During the second half of the 1950s, Italy was trying to break the limits imposed by its defeat in the Second World War and to rebuild its foreign policy in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern areas. This region was a traditional point of interest for Italian diplomacy: throughout past centuries the Peninsula had been considered an ideal bridge between Europe and the Arab countries. The 1956 Suez crisis was an important test to measure the power of Italian diplomacy. On this occasion Nasser was prone to consider Italy a useful intermediary in his contact with the Western Powers. The main actors in Italian foreign policy, however, had different opinions as to the level of independence the Italian Government could maintain vis-a-vis the Atlantic Powers. The lack of concerted action compromised the role of Italian diplomacy.