In western Europe, Italian is my second favorite cuisine to French. Germany, Switzerland, and northwards, have soggy dumplings and bland meats. England has mushy peas and bland everything. Eastern Europe, been to Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria, more soggy dumplings and bland meats, though Prague had good continental food in restaurants (and cheap!!). Scandinavia might be better, dunno, haven't been there.
Spain and Portugal are pretty good too, with lots of fresh produce and seafood, but after France, I'll take Italy any day, with happy food: pasta, pizza, Tuscan steak, ice cream.
I'll concede that I'm way too fond of having opinions, and of expressing them. Sorry.